<p>A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management.</p>

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management. / South Africa

The work of Government and non-Government organizations in refugee integration in the German labor market, Sep. 2015-Jan. 2016. Abstract The new refugee surges in Germany have emphasized the importance of refugee integration in the host country. Current research highlights the role of government and nongovernment organisations in helping refugees overcome integration related challenges. This thesis highlights the challenges that are typically faced by refugees and assesses the importance of government and nongovernment institutions and organisations in helping refugees overcome those challenges. Applying a qualitative method and a comparative approach, the thesis employs data available from a set of reports and websites from respective organisations that work on refugee related issues, or that evaluate the work in different countries. The findings suggest that there is a set of challenges that are faced by refugees, with highlight in: host country language abilities, previous qualification recognition, skills recognition, emotional challenges, cultural differences in the workplaces. Moreover, the findings analyze the main industries where refugees are typically employed. Finally, comparing the areas of focus by both types of organisations, it is identified the presence of a noticeable division, not...

PhDr. Jana Gombárová Islamic Culture in Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue and its Reflection in the Czech Lands Abstract The general aim of the present Ph.D. thesis is a reflection of Islamic culture within the Euro-Mediterranean multi-cultural dialogue. Its specific aim is a study of reflection of the Arab and Islamic communities in the Czech Republic. The first chapter provides methodological and theoretical analyses of the conceptions of "end of history" by Francis Fukuyama and "clash of civilisations" by Samuel P. Huntington, which provoked a wide and controversial discussion both around the world and in our country. It also provides an analysis of more recent "catastrophic scenarios" (Laqueur, Spencer, Rodrígez, Sarazin). The Islamic culture within the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and with the history of Barcelona process of cooperation of the European Union with the South- Mediterranean countries, which culminated in founding of the Union for Mediterranean in 2010, are also included in the chapter. Anna Lindh Foundation as a European non- government organisation and its network in the Czech Republic is an object of special interest. The last part of the chapter includes the controversial results of the "Arab Spring" characterized by the rise of Islamists to power. The second chapter is focused on...

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att skapa förståelse för hur styrkortsanvändning hos svenska kommuner upplevs av involverade chefer, särskilt sett till användbarhet och användarvänlighet. Metod: Denna studie antar ett kvalitativt och tolkningsinriktat synsätt och har en abduktiv ansats. Tillvägagångssättet omfattar en litteraturstudie samt empiri-insamling medelst semistrukturerade intervjuer, vilka sedan växelvis har ställts mot varandra genom en tematiserad analys. Slutsats: Vår slutsats är att styrkortsanvändning hos svenska kommuner uppvisar avsevärd variation, men att styrkorten överlag upplevs som användbara för organisationen; något mindre användbara för den enskilde chefen samt att bristfällig användarvänlighet är vanligt förekommande. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Se stycke 6.4. Studiens bidrag: Vår studie bidrar med empirisk bekräftelse av att balanserat styrkort upplevs vara ett användbart koncept för kommunal styrning. Vidare påvisar studien att styrkortet främst är praktiskt användbart för organisationen som helhet; sett till den enskilde chefen är användbarheten och användarvänligheten mer begränsad, och förbättringspotentialen upplevs vara stor sett till båda perspektiv. / Aim: The purpose of this study is to create an understanding for how scorecard usage in Swedish local government is perceived by the involved managers, especially in terms of usefulness and ease of use. Method: This study adopts a qualitative and interpretative stance and has an abductive approach. The mode of procedure includes a literature study and collection of empiric material through semistructured interviews, which have then iteratively been positioned versus each other in a thematised analysis. Conclusions: Our conclusions are that scorecard usage in Swedish local government organisations encompasses considerable variation, but that the scorecards in general are perceived as useful for the organisation; somewhat less useful for the individual manager and that inadequate ease of use is commonly occurring. Suggested future research: See paragraph 6.4 below. Contribution of the thesis: Our study contributes with empiric confirmation that the balanced scorecard is perceived to be a suitable concept for Swedish local government management. The study also shows that the scorecard is useful primarily for the organisation as a whole; the usefulness and ease of use seen to the individual manager is more limited, and the potential for improvement is perceived to be considerable seen to both perspectives.

This ethnographic study of asylum seekers in East Anglia, UK, poses the following questions: how do asylum seekers adapt, cope and adjust to life in the UK when their future is so uncertain? To what extent do people seeking asylum relate to an asylum seeker identity? How do asylum seekers negotiate interactions with others as they await an outcome to their application for asylum? This study explores these questions in an effort to gain insight into the role of identity reconstruction during the process of asylum seeking. This thesis is based on twelve months of fieldwork in the towns of Norwich and Great Yarmouth, and to a lesser extent in Peterborough and London, where asylum seekers had been dispersed by either the London Boroughs or the Home Office’s NASS (National Asylum Support Service). During 2002 and 2003, I conducted fieldwork amongst asylum seekers, as well as amongst support workers working for various NGOs that offered a number of support services for asylum seekers. The focus on asylum seekers’ speech-acts is a method to observe the primary form of social action by which asylum seekers articulate a shared place, liminal immigration system and interaction with others. These elements shape asylum seekers’ identity in the UK. Consequently, asylum seekers’ predicament can be understood as a movement through the immigration system, but also an existential movement as each person tries to negotiate their existence. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1331561 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2008

This thesis examines the implementation of the new digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) by the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Non-government organisation (NGO) at the state, national and international levels through an ethnographic, participant observation case study, informed by the precepts of feminist research. A quantitative survey of Australian peak women's NGOs participating in the electronic mailing list - Pamela's List is also conducted mapping the context in which WIFT operates and providing an overview of Australian women's peak NGOs' uptake and use of ICTs. The findings are situated in relation to a review of the international surveys available on women's NGOs and the surveys and research reports available on the overall NGO sector, nationally and internationally. The study addresses two neglected areas in the ICT literature. For over a decade Feminist theorists have pointed to the omission of gender as a focus in studies on the new information and communications technologies. There has also been little research and few surveys into the uptake of ICTs by either women's NGOs or the broader NGO sector, nationally or internationally. The detailed, longitudinal case study of the implementation process from pre-establishment through to advanced use of digital communications by a women's NGO at state, national and international level is also unique. Combined with the survey, it affords the opportunity to not only document which ICTs are being adopted but also why particular technologies are being used over others and how they are being used. Despite key successes, the results show less than optimum uptake, a lack of advanced or strategic use, and the myriad of challenges shared by all three WIFT organisations, Australian women's peak NGOs, and the national and international NGO sector in utilising ICTs. The reasons for this are analysed revealing the conflicting values between the NGO sector and those underlying the development of ICTs and demonstrates that difficulties systemic to both the technology and the NGO sector are limiting access and utilisation by women's NGOs. While the myths of women as technophobic are seriously challenged by the findings, the study highlights the importance of gender factors in limiting access and uptake and shaping the use of ICTs. Australian women's NGOs' uptake is shown to be less than their mixed gender counterparts and the study also reveals a lack of acknowledgement by government of gender as a key factor in the uptake of ICTs. It is also shown that significant funding, infrastructure support and policy initiatives recognising the special technological and communication challenges of women's NGOs and the overall NGO sector are needed, if both are to fully and strategically embrace these technologies and function effectively in the new millennium. The significant contribution to knowledge of this thesis lies foremost in furthering the understanding of gender as a key factor in the uptake and utilisation of the new ICTs while at the same time challenging the patriarchal myth of women as technophobic. It thus contributes to the reconstruction of the epistemologies surrounding women's relationship to technology. The study also contributes to furthering the current very limited knowledge and understanding of women's NGOs and the overall NGO sector's uptake and use of information and communications technology. The knowledge and the critical insight provided is not purely historical but rather as the push to take up broadband begins, has relevance to this and future technological innovations. Without an understanding of the process, requirements and challenges faced by women's NGOs and the NGO sector in general, the existing problems will continue to be replicated. The material presented in this study will be useful to all women's organisations and NGOs contemplating establishing digital communications or wishing to review their current use of these technologies. It will also be of value to government and policy makers seeking to establish policies and initiatives that will enable NGOs to take up the new information and communication technologies.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / According to the Constitution of Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) it is the responsibility of local government to provide basic and effective water services to all consumers in its area of jurisdiction. The Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) further supports this concept and establishes the institutional framework for service delivery and an enabling environment for development of the sector. In the spirit of co-operative governance the department of Water Affair and Forestry is obliged to provide this support to local government around the issues of water services provision but this support needs to be located within the legislative laid out in local government legislation. The nature of capacity support to Kei District Council is that it requires intensive initial support to ensure that it is able to fulfil its service functions, including those outlined in the Water Services Act. This requirement for intensive initial support is due of the following: (a) Kei District Council was previously not responsible for water services, (b) it require support to set up structures and systems for managing and monitoring water Services, (c) it need to develop water services expertise, (d)The Transitional Local Government process places an enormous challenge on Kei District Council to gear up for its role as developmental local government, and (e) the Water Services Act has introduced new requirement and clarified the water services authority functions that municipalities are required to fulfil.