This study examines the development of performance measurement tools, in the form of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), for corporate communication in the Information Technology (IT) industry, to aid in the alignment of its strategic intent. Furthermore, the performance measurement tool has to be able to capture the intangible value, contributed by the corporate communication department, and integrate it with the performance measurement model utilised by the organisation. There were three specific objectives in this study. The first objective epistemologically conducted a focused literature review in primary, secondary and tertiary sources of data, to question the true nature of the concepts dealt with in this study. The second objective ontologically explored the existence of corporate communication measurement, among specialists in industry. The last objective critically analysed the information gathered from both literature and industry, and assembled a proposal suggesting a means to measure communication in an organisational context. Qualitative exploratory research was conducted in the form of in-depth personal interviews, with selected corporate communication practitioners, consultants and people knowledgeable about, and experienced, with performance measurement, or KPIs. Data was analysed using a thematic content analysis. The themes identified in the data analyses were studied and compared with the findings from the literature synopsis, and conclusions as well as recommendations were established. Important differences were noted and established, between the perceptions of literature and industry, regarding the purpose, roles, goals and functions of corporate communication. These differences contributed greatly towards understanding what should be measured when developing KPIs for corporate communication. The main conclusion drawn from the study, is that organisations should aspire to obtain the ability to communicate. The purpose of corporate communication is to assist with this process, by providing communication support to the rest of the organisation. The ability of communication may be measured by incorporating communication into the performance measurement model of the organisation. This can be done by developing KPIs for communication that are represented on every level of the organisation. The recommendation emanating from this study, illustrates how communication may be incorporated into a performance measurement model such as the Balanced Scorecard. Subsequently, communication KPIs need to be custom-developed based on the strategic objectives and the critical success factors of the organisation. The development of KPIs should be constructed in such a way, that it measures the communication efforts of the entire organisation, and not just the efforts of the communication department. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Communication Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Meningitis remains a frightening disease with a high morbidity and mortality in spite of optimal treatment. In South Africa in particular, the incidence of HIV-infected patents with meningitis has risen considerably during the past decade. The first part of this meningitis study evaluated prognostic indicators in meningitis. In 100 adult patients with meningitis it was found that the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission was a good indicator of the ultimate prognosis of the patient, with a GCS value of > 12 associated with a good outcome in 88% of patients. A GCS value of < 8 predicted an unfortunate outcome in 88% of patients. A high CSF protein level was also associated with an unfortunate outcome but the statistical significance was not as marked as with the GCS value. Age, CSF-neutrophil count, and glucose levels were also evaluated as possible prognostic indicators but were not found to be statistically significant. The electroencephalograms of 12 patients with pneumococcal meningitis showed that a grade 4 dysfunction within 48 hours of admission indicated a poor outcome; CT brain scans of 26 patients with TB meningitis showed that an adverse outcome was seen particularly in patients with TB meningitis and infarcts while in 33 patients with bacterial meningitis no specific sign was found to indicate a bad prognosis - probably due to the small number of patients evaluated. Prognostic factors in cryptococcal meningitis were lastly evaluated retrospectively in 44 patients; age, CSF white cell count and CD 4 counts were not found to be associated with outcome, while a GCS value of ≤ 14 at admission was found in almost three quarters of patients with an eventual adverse outcome. The second part of the study evaluated the impact of HIV-infection on meningitis. Between 1994 and 1998, the HIV-epidemic caused a marked shift in the spectrum of meningitis towards chronic infections such as TB and cryptococcal meningitis, while the incidence of HIV-related cases with meningitis rose from 14% in 1994 to 5% in 1998. A comparison of clinical, CSF and pathological findings and outcomes in 20 HIV-positive and 17 HIV-negative patients with tuberculous meningitis showed that HIV-infection does not significantly alter clinical and CSF findings in TB meningitis in South Africa, but ventricular dilatation and infarcts occur more frequently in HIV-positive patients. Diagnostic aids in meningitis were assessed in the final part of this study. The polymerase chain reaction for TB was measured in the CSF of 10 patients with suspected tuberculous meningitis and disappointingly only positive in two patients in spite of positive CSF cultures for TB in an additional four patients. Lymphnode biopsies were performed on seven patients with intracranial tuberculosis. Excision biopsy of an enlarged Iymphnode showing caseating granulomas and/or acid-fast bacilli confirmed the diagnosis of TB within 48 hours of admission. Thus, Iymphnode biopsies may be an effective and practical aid in diagnosing intracranial TB. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels are often elevated in both tuberculous and bacterial meningitis. ADA iso-enzymes analysis in 26 patients however, showed that the ADA2 iso-enzyme was the major contributor to increased ADA activity in the CSF of patients with tuberculous meningitis and not with bacterial meningitis. The EEG was evaluated as diagnostic aid in 55 patients with meningitis to discriminate between viral and non-viral meningitis. Sensitivities of 70% and 80% of VEEG and QEEG's respectively were attained for the prediction of patients with non-viral meningitis, while the VEEG had a specificity of 100% for the prediction of viral meningitis. / Thesis (MD (Neurology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Neurology / unrestricted

This thesis was initiated by Penta Investment as a reaction on the significant difference in EV EBITDA multiple of Fortuna and its peers, European listed betting and gaming companies. It seeks to find the reason for more than twice higher multiple and a possibility to increase it by applying best international practices in case there is a feasible way to do it for Fortuna. Three hypotheses address the possible reasons for the difference, peers incomparability, market inefficiency and opportunity for Fortuna to increase the multiple by bringing the most influential KPIs the average level of its peers. The analysis is done with a help of comparative analysis, benchmarking, regression analysis and interviews of equity analysts. As a result, action plan for increasing EV EBITDA multiple for Fortuna is developed.

Nové regulatórne pravidlá BASEL II, ktorých hlavným cieľom je zvýšiť bezpečnosť a stabilitu finančných systémov, posilniť konkurenciu medzi bankami a umožniť väčšiu rizikovú citlivosť definujú nový typ rizika, ktoré je potrebné pokryť dodatočným kapitálom - riziko operačné. BASEL II vymedzuje 3 prístupy (základný, štandardizovaný a pokročilý), ktoré je možné použiť k výpočtu regulatórneho kapitálu, potrebného na pokrytie strát vzniknutých v dôsledku realizácie operačného rizika. V prvej časti diplomovej práce je popísaný nový koncept bankovej regulácie, v časti druhej je vymedzený pojem operačné riziko a základné prístupy k jeho kvantifikácii. Tretia kapitola obsahuje návrh zjednodušeného teoretického modelu, ktorý umožní kapitálovú požiadavku na pokrytie operačného rizika kvantifikovať.

The residential construction sector in the UK plays an important role in society’s wellbeing as it provides shelter, employment and promotes economic growth. However, the sector has been identified as a large contributor to climate change, resource depletion and is associated with different socio-economic issues such as fuel poverty and house affordability. The residential construction sector is growing quickly due to a high housing demand, as will the associated impacts unless significant changes are made. Several studies have assessed the environmental impacts of the residential construction sector, while the social and economic aspects of sustainability are often ignored but are equally important for sustainable development. This thesis presents a sustainability assessment framework capable of addressing the environmental, economic and social issues of the residential construction sector supply chain, using a life cycle approach in order to contribute toward an improved understanding of the current and future trends in the sector.The methodology developed has been applied to the residential construction sector in the UK and demonstrated through three case studies of conventional, passive and zero-carbon houses as well as a sustainability assessment at the sectoral level. The main stakeholders identified here are construction companies and workforce, home owners and occupiers, suppliers, local authorities and the government. The main sustainability issues are resource depletion, waste generation, environmental impacts such as global warming (GWP), ozone depletion, house price and affordability, contribution to GDP, provision of employment, health and safety, impact on local communities and business ethics. The assessment tools used to assess the environmental and economic sustainability are Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), respectively. Social sustainability has been assessed using different social sustainability indicators applicable to the residential construction sector. LCA results indicate that zero-carbon houses have the lowest GWP of the three house types considered, being 71% lower than for the conventional house, compared to a 59% reduction for passive houses. However, passive houses have a better overall environmental performance as they have the lowest impacts for most environmental impact categories. LCC results, on the other hand, indicate that the total life cycle costs for zero-carbon houses are 21% higher than for conventional houses because of the additional cost of renewable technologies, while for passive houses costs are comparable to conventional houses. At a sectoral level, zero-carbon houses can achieve reductions of 13% of the sector’s annual GWP compared to conventional houses, however this will cost the residential construction sector an additional £3 billion per year. The construction of passive houses will cost an additional £1 billion per year compared to conventional houses but can help by reducing the sector’s annual GWP by 10%.This study shows that the current state of the housing sector is environmentally unsustainable and urgent changes must be made in the way houses are constructed and managed. However, the residential construction sector must overcome many socio-economic barriers before introducing low-carbon houses on a large scale.

M.Sc. / Biomarkers are responses in living organisms that signify exposure to harmful substances. The use of biomarkers enables researchers to detect toxicity at suborganismal level. It can thus be used as an early warning of chronic pollution. This project employs biomarkers in preliminary field research to assess aquatic ecosystem health. The indigenous freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus and Labeo umbratus are used as test organisms. Mature fish are collected at polluted and unpolluted sites. Blood, brain- and liver tissue is removed and analysed. Laboratory evaluation involves the exposure of juvenile Oreochromis mossambicus to a variety of toxic chemicals in a static system to determine biomarker responses. The biomarkers investigated include acetylcholinesterase, which is inhibited by organophosphate and carbamate pesticides and pyruvate kinase, which is a ratelimiting enzyme of glycolysis. Lactate dehydrogenase is used as biomarker for muscle tissue damage and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is a key regulatory enzyme of the pentose-phosphate shunt. Osmotic anion and cation concentrations are measured to determine stress on the regulation of water- and osmotic balance. Although results from the field study is variable, some biomarkers show potential to be included in a suite of biomarkers for biomonitoring, together with other biological, physical and chemical measures. Applying techniques to assess a suite of biomarkers in key organisms, produces a more accurate reflection of ecosystem health. Exposure studies with juvenile fish produced extremely variable and unreliable results. Many repetitions of each exposure will be necessary to determine significant deviations in biomarker responses from the normal range.

The main goal of this dissertation is to explore alternative economic indicators to GDP. The paper also analyses whether GDP is able to capture the development of a society's welfare, and whether different indicators can show other results about the development of national economy. After an introductory description of GDP, the paper outlines the core limits of this indicator. Following this is a discussion of happiness economics and Easterlin's paradox. The paper then goes on to explore the subject of alternative indicators in more detail. In the final chapter, five selected alternative indicators are analyzed, and compared with GDP using the USA's economy as an example. In conclusion, the paper evaluates the usefulness of these alternative indicators and finds that alternative indicators give a different perspective on national economy than GDP.

The goal of this diploma thesis is presentation and application of different types of methods of financial analysis. In the theoretical part there are described principles of financial statements according to International Financial Accounting Standards on which is the financial analysis based on. Also there are described applied methods, their indicators and patterns. In the practical part of diploma thesis there are used some of the described methods of financial analysis to the international company Continental Corporation Inc. Financial analysis is used to assessment of financial situation of the company and its development in years 2009 to 2013.

A competitividade tem sido tema recorrente no âmbito das empresas há muito tempo, mas tem um destaque maior à medida que os mercados abriram-se para um amplo comércio mundial. Antes discutido em nível de unidade, a competitividade não mais pode ser assegurada pelas competências e habilidades da empresa tão somente. A tônica atual no que se refere à competitividade considera o esforço de toda a cadeia de valor para atender às necessidades dos consumidores finais dos produtos e/ou serviços produzidos por esta. Alguns modelos foram desenvolvidos para atender às necessidades de mensuração de cadeias de valor, considerando os vários níveis dos indicadores, tanto a nível estratégico, quanto tático e operacional, mas lacunas ainda existem a serem preenchidas na busca de modelos mais completos. Neste sentido, este estudo desenvolveu uma estrutura de indicadores de desempenho para avaliar o desempenho de cadeias de valor, em específico a do setor moveleiro do oeste catarinense. Para tal se valeu de vários métodos de coleta de dados, como entrevistas, survey e método Delphi na busca de estruturar um conjunto de indicadores que pudessem avaliar o desempenho da cadeia de valor moveleira. O presente estudo se caracteriza com sendo um estudo exploratório, de cunho qualitativo e também um estudo de caso. Como resultados desta pesquisa, foram identificados na literatura os principais indicadores de desempenho utilizados para avaliar cadeias de valor, foram agrupados e analisados por especialistas quanto à sua importância para a mensuração de desempenho, posteriormente foram avaliados pelas empresas de dois polos moveleiros quanto à importância. Por fim, para a validação do modelo proposto, foi avaliado o desempenho de indicadores em duas empresas focais e os principais atores de suas cadeias de valor. / Competitiveness has been a recurrent theme in the companies field for a long time, but it has acquired a greater highlight as markets opened up to wide global trade. Previously discussed at the unit level, competitiveness can not be assured anymore only for the companies abilities and competence. The current key-note concerning competitiveness considers the effort of the whole value chain employed to attend the final consumer needs for its products and/or for its produced services. Some models were developed to attend value chains measuring needs, considering the several levels of indicators, both strategical as operational and tactical. However, there are still gaps to be fulfilled in the search for more complete models. In this sense, this study developed a structure of performance indicators to assess value chains performance, focusing specifically on the furniture field in the West region of Santa Catarina. To accomplish that, this study employed several methods of data collection, such as interviews, survey, and the Delphi Method, aiming at structuring a set of indicators that could assess the performance of the furniture field value chain. The current study is characterized as exploratory with a qualitative approach and also a case study. As results, the main performance indicators used to assess value chains were identified in the related literature. Next, they were grouped and analyzed by experts concerning their importance to performance measuring. Later, they were assessed by companies of two furniture areas in what concerns their importance. At last, in order to validate the proposed model, the performance of indicators was assessed in two focal companies, as well as the main actors of their value chains.

Age estimation in living individuals around the legal age of 18 years remains a difficult challenge, with limited options available. In this study third molar development was used, along with the novel method of anterior inferior vertebral ring apophysis development, to assess the age of living individuals and the probability of being 18 years. For third molar development, panoramic radiographs of 705 white and 563 black South Africans were scored using a 10 stage scoring system. Vertebral apophysis development of C2, C3, and C4 of 496 white and 478 black South Africans were assessed from cephalometric radiographs, using a four-stage scoring system. Likelihood values were determined for individuals in each sex and population group being 18 years, based on developmental stages. For apophysis development, the median ages for attainment of stages 0, 1, and 2 were below the 18-year threshold for all ancestry and sex groups, while stage 3 was also below this threshold in some groups. For third molar development, black South African individuals consistently matured earlier than white South African individuals, while for most of the stages the opposite was true for apophysis development. Differences between the sexes were also noted for third molar, but not for vertebral apophysis development. These age indicators were also combined by using a generalised linear model (GLM). The combined sample comprised of 165 females and 122 males aged between 15 and 18 years. Four additional models were obtained from data sets only containing data for third molar and cervical ring apophysis development respectively. The performance of all the models were quantified and compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) as an estimator of the relative quality of the statistical models and the prediction error as a mean square error value. The best performance resulted from third molar development, although the vertebral data adds a component related to skeletal development which may better reflect biological reality. These results show that cervical vertebral apophysis development is a valuable, novel addition to the assessment of age in living individuals. Both these methods are easy to use and can be assessed from standard and routinely used radiographic images. The developed models need to be sex and ancestry specific, as clear differences were noted. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Anatomy / PhD / Unrestricted