Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 25, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

D. Comm. / Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) form the majority of enterprises in the South African economy. The South African government has identified the SMME sector as one of the potential enablers to achieve its objectives of improving job creation opportunities, reducing poverty and creating a more equitable distribution of wealth.

The overall aim of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of beneficiaries of government grants for the sustainability of development projects. A qualitative method was used following an explorative and descriptive design, as the researcher seeks to understand paradigm shifts from a welfare perspective to a developmental perspective. The qualitative approach is most suitable when the aim of the researcher is to understand a phenomenon from the point of view of participants (Creswell, 1998:17) and to elicit thought processes and feelings (Straus and Corbin, 1998:11). The methods of data collection included in-depth semi-structured interviews, field notes as well as the use of focus groups. The semi-structured interviews allowed the researcher to ask specific questions in an open-ended manner when necessary. Data analysis was done according to Tesch’s eight steps for analyzing qualitative research data (Creswell, 1994: 154-155). Guba’s model was used to assess the trustworthiness of research findings for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research (Krefting, 1990: 214-222). It is envisaged that this study will provide insights into the perceptions of beneficiaries of government social development grants. Findings indicate that a great deal of skills development for sustainability of development projects is needed, and will be used for further research in the area of social development.

No description available.

Yeung, Hiu Yan Dorcas. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-173). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Table of Contents --- p.v / Tables and Figures --- p.vii / Chapter Chapter 1. --- Introduction / Chapter 1.1. --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2. --- Objectives and research questions --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3. --- Significance --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4. --- Chapters overview --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter 2. --- The Scene of Classical Music and Cultural Policy in Hong Kong / Chapter 2.1. --- Defining classical music and beyond --- p.16 / Chapter 2.2. --- Development of orchestras and classical music in Hong Kong --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3. --- Models of cultural policy and policy in Hong Kong --- p.21 / Chapter 2.4. --- Supporting arts groups --- p.29 / Chapter 2.5. --- Current funding policy --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 3. --- Literature Review / Chapter 3.1. --- Introduction --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2. --- Theorizing state and arts - the field of cultural production --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3. --- Arts administration --- p.47 / Chapter 3.4. --- Amateur --- p.51 / Chapter 3.5. --- "Chapter summary: Amateur arts group, administration and the field" --- p.58 / Chapter Chapter 4. --- Methodology / Chapter 4.1. --- In-depth interviews --- p.60 / Chapter 4.2. --- Documentation --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3. --- Limitations --- p.63 / Chapter Chapter 5. --- Being (and Surviving as) an Amateur: Case Studies of Music Groups / Chapter 5.1. --- Introduction --- p.65 / Chapter 5.2. --- Estimating number of amateur music groups --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3. --- The spectrum from professional to hobbyist --- p.67 / Chapter 5.4. --- The need for resources --- p.76 / Chapter 5.5. --- From beliefs to action --- p.89 / Chapter 5.6. --- Models of operation --- p.96 / Chapter 5.7. --- Chapter summary --- p.105 / Chapter Chapter 6. --- Between What We Want and How They Do: Matching with the Administrative Habitus / Chapter 6.1. --- Introduction --- p.107 / Chapter 6.2. --- The significance of arts administration --- p.107 / Chapter 6.3. --- The mechanism --- p.110 / Chapter 6.4. --- Getting around the system --- p.124 / Chapter 6.5. --- Arts administration as a field --- p.131 / Chapter 6.6. --- Negotiating with the administration --- p.140 / Chapter 6.7. --- Chapter summary: Mapping the field --- p.144 / Chapter Chapter 7. --- Conclusion / Chapter 7.1. --- Conclusion --- p.149 / Chapter 7.2. --- Implications on cultural policy --- p.154 / Chapter 7.3. --- Implications on amateur and amateur activities --- p.158 / Chapter 7.4. --- Limitations and future direction --- p.159 / Appendixes --- p.163 / References --- p.166

A new issue of public policy in America's higher education history is the state support of private higher education. As of January 1, 1980, all of the states except Wyoming and Nevada provide some type of aid to private higher education institutions. One state, North Carolina, began its efforts to provide state assistance to private higher education in 1971 and by 1981 had provided approximately 86 million dollars to its now 38 private colleges and universities. This study is an in depth description of (1) the current status of that aid; (2) the political evolution of that aid; (3) the several different interest groups and individuals involved with (a) the legislation authorizing the aid and (b) the subsequent litigation contesting the legislation; and (4) the issue of state aid to private higher education in a national context. Currently, there are three general programs of state aid to private higher education in North Carolina: (1) the North Carolina State Contractual Scholarship Fund, (2) the North Carolina Legislative Tuition Grant Program and (3) the North Carolina Student Incentive Grant Program. The North Carolina statutes authorizing these programs of aid were held to be constitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution in Smith v. Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina (1977). Those actors responsible for the legislation authorizing the programs of aid include former Governors Bob Scott, Dan Moore, and Jim Holshouser; Governor Jim Hunt; former and present legislators favoring aid to private higher education; the trustees, staff, faculty, and students of private higher education institutions; parents of students attending those institutions; representatives of the (now defunct) State Board of Higher Education; and representatives of the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Those actors who are considered the primary forces behind the legislation are Duke University President Terry Sanford (former North Carolina Governor), Pfeiffer College President Cameron West (former Director of the State Board of Higher Education), Ben Fisher (former Executive Secretary for the Council on Christian Higher Education of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina), Virgil McBride (former Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities), and John Henley (current President of the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities). Proponents of the aid postulate that such aid is economical, i.e., the State saves money by utilizing available space at private institutions. They also posit that the aid provides access to and choice of higher education for North Carolina students. They are quite adamant in their belief that the aid is student aid, not institutional aid, although the funds are allocated directly to the institutions. For this study, the researcher utilized newspaper files, official reports, legal documents, letters, memoranda, related literature, House and Senate Journals, and Session Laws. Fifty interviews with principal actors were conducted. / Ed. D.

Zhang, Yaling. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-242). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In Namibia the small business sector is seen to play a very important role in the creation of jobs and the growth of the economy. At the same time small enterprises face a wide range of problems, which keep the failure rates of new ventures high and often prevent dynamic business growth. To address these challenges it is insufficient to have a national strategy for small businesses or to just rely on national government and other national bodies. This is particularly important in a country like Namibia which has a small population, stretched over a vast territory, with huge differences in the resources and development patterns of the various regions. Against that background this study focuses on a particular area of Namibia, viz the Erongo Region along the coastal belt. It is Namibia’s best developed region after the central Windhoek/Khomes area, with the two towns, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, the harbor of Walvis Bay, the Uranium mines and tourism being the foundation for business growth. After reviewing the spectrum of small business support bodies available in Namibia the study looked at a sample of 100 small enterprises in the Erongo area. They were asked about their business engagement, business prospects, main problems experienced and their awareness and utilization of support programmes. These needs profiles were then compared to the set of actual service suppliers found in the Erongo region. This showed that in practice very few of the problems are addressed, largely due to a lack of awareness, pro-activity and cooperation on both sides: local small enterprises and local support suppliers. The study ends with a range of proposals which should, if tackled on a partnership basis and in closer cooperation between the head offices in Windhoek and local bodies, lead to a steady improvement of the SME support process.

Thesis (DComm (Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 1982. / The subject discussed in this dissertation is that of how universities should best be financed. This appears, prima facie, to be a readily solvable question, but is in fact one that contains innumerable disguised difficulties. Casual observation confirms that resources are allocated, which places the subject undeniably in the realm of economics. Needless to say however, much more is ultimately at stake than just the economic: educationalists, sociologists, business leaders, indeed all who come into contact with the products of universities in their many guises justifiably believe that they have a contribution to make. Nevertheless, the arguments marshalled below are unashamedly taken from the economist's arsenal, although some aspects of a wider nature are included. In particular the analysis will proceed as if economic efficiency, growth and welfare are the primary aims of society; which is not, of course, to imply that other considerations are trivial. The institutions referred to in the body of the dissertation are those commonly regarded as being the 'white' South African universities. This was necessitated by the division of the universities for administrative purposes between several government departments and the fact that the South African Post-Secondary Education (SAPSE) information system, which forms the basic structure for the empirical sections of the dissertation, has only been introduced for those universities under the jurisdiction of the Minister of National Education. Section 1.4 is devoted to tracing the historical development of this dichotomy and in Chapter 9 some of its implications are investigated. Other institutions for post-secondary education, the Technikons for example, are not dealt with specifically, although much of the analysis could be applied to them as well. As is emphasized in Section 4.5, the policy implications of this dissertation should ideally be applied to the postsecondary education sector as a whole. The primary hypothesis of this dissertation is that a system of formula financing for universities can be economically efficient without in any way encroaching upon university autonomy. This implies several subsidiary hypotheses: firstly, that a decentralized procedure for planning university education, whereby the decisions to enroll are largely left in the hands of students, can lead to economically efficient configurations; that those decisions should be made by considering the social and private costs of education, and not simply the benefits; that the private coats of (university) education are best reflected in prices, that is tuition fees; and that the structure of university costs can be discerned by observing the universities' internal optimization processes as revealed in their ex post patterns of expenditures.

The impact of four basic capital project funding models for state participation was determined for the school districts in Texas. A review of the historical background for funding of capital projects and improvements by states was followed by a review of the historical background of state support for funding capital projects in the State of Texas. Additionally, the current funding models and methods of determining need were reviewed for all of the states. This historical review revealed that facility funding, like aid for maintenance and operation, has evolved with all the states at different stages.