Apesar de o Brasil ser um país de destaque na produção e comercialização de produtos agropecuários, o setor produtivo de pescado ainda está em desenvolvimento no país. Os estudos sobre os sistemas agroalimentares são importantes ferramentas que permitem conhecer as cadeias produtivas, identificar entraves, formular estratégias e políticas públicas e privadas, visando o desenvolvimento do setor. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar o sistema agroindustrial do pescado no Brasil, identificar seus principais entraves e analisar a atuação governamental perante tais problemas. Para tal, foram consultados órgãos governamentais, associações, bancos de dados, publicações e pessoas relacionadas ao segmento. O sistema agroindustrial, dividido em pesca, aquicultura, indústria e comércio, foi caracterizado quanto ao volume de produção, valores financeiros e número de estabelecimentos e trabalhadores. Após a identificação de entraves ao desenvolvimento do setor, como o estado de sobrepesca dos principais recursos pesqueiros, os diversos problemas enfrentados pela aquicultura, a baixa qualidade higiênico-sanitária dos produtos comercializados, a escassez de informações setoriais publicadas e o baixo consumo de pescado no Brasil, a atuação dos serviços oficiais foi analisada e discutida. Foram identificados como problemas de gestão governamental a sobreposição de funções dos diversos órgãos administradores, a falta de coordenação entre esses órgãos, a ausência de fiscalização do cumprimento da legislação, a carência de políticas públicas claras, a dificuldade na obtenção de crédito para o investimento, a escassez de informações setoriais publicadas, entre outros. Algumas sugestões para o ordenamento do segmento do pescado foram feitas, como a reorganização institucional e definição de governança, a atualização da legislação, a contratação e treinamento de pessoas para a fiscalização, a definição de políticas claras para a aquicultura, o incentivo a pesquisas por informações setoriais e divulgação de dados confiáveis e atualizados. Apesar do desenvolvimento setorial após a criação da Secretaria Especial de Pesca e Aquicultura, o setor ainda enfrenta muitos problemas que necessitam solução a fim de desenvolver esse sistema produtivo e elevar o Brasil a um nível de maior importância na produção mundial de pescado. / Although Brazil is a prominent country in agricultural products production and commercialization, the fishery productive sector is still in development in this country. The agri-food systems studies are important tools that allow us to know the product chains, to identify impediments, to formulate strategies and private and public policies, aiming to develop the sector. Therefore, this work had as objective to characterize the Brazilian fishery agri-industrial system, to identify its main impediments and to analyse the governmental performance in the presence of such problems. Hence, governmental agencies, associations, databases, publications and people related to the segment were consulted. The agri-food system, split in fishery, aquaculture, industry and commence, were characterized in terms of production, financial values and establishments and workers number. After the identification of the impediments to the sector development, such as the main fishery resources stocks in overfished state, the various issues faced by aquaculture, the low hygienic-sanitary quality of the commercialized products, the shortage sectorial information and the low fishery products consumption in Brazil, the governmental agencies performance was analysed and discussed. The agencies overlapping functions, the lack of coordination between these agencies, the deprivation of inspection, the absence of clear public policies, the difficulties to acquire credit to invest, the shortage sectorial information, among others, were identified as governmental management problems. Some suggestions were made in order to organize the sector, like the institutional reorganization and the governance definition, the legislation update, hiring and training people to inspect, defining clear policies for aquaculture, stimulating the sectorial researches and spreading trustworthy and up to date data. In spite of the sectorial development after the creation of Special Secretariat of Fishery and Aquaculture, the sector still faces many issues that have to be solved in order to develop this production system and to raise Brazil to a level of bigger importance in the worldwide fishery production.

This study has investigated the biblical and historical relevancy of doing theology of pastoral ministry in rural Zambia .After a meticulous examination of essential distinctives of pastoral ministry, the study brought to the fore the fact that the role of the faith community among other things is to engage the community in a practical and relevant way by creating an enabling environment that promote dialogue. Social communication and cohesion are important imperatives especially in the context of rural Zambia where life thrives on informal social support networks which are the lifelines of rural Zambia thus the need to empower rural pastors with relevant skills and training to sustain a healthy hermeneutical dialogue. The study further examined the validity of three-fold theological perspectives namely: biblical, historical and cultural. The investigation revealed that these are important pastoral imperatives that should not be seen as an end but a means in a theological process. Therefore, this study calls for a re-examination of how the pastoral ministry engages in Rural Zambia in light of scripture and the social economics. The researcher has argued that most pastors, who engage in ministry within the Zambian rural context, do not fully understand the fact that for pastoral ministry to be effective it has to engage the community holistically. Many models appropriated in the Zambian rural context focuses on the salvation of the person “soul” with no due concern for the communities “social salvation”. With all the complications and implications that go with application of genuine pastoral ministry practice, this study has formulated and proposed a model that would be effective to rural Zambia. More research still need to be done to address adequately all the impediments identified through this study. Copyright / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Tsunamis represent significant threats to human life and development in coastal communities. This quantitative study examines the influence of household characteristics on evacuation actions taken by 211 respondents in American Samoa who were at their homes during the 29 September 2009 Mw 8.1 Samoa Islands earthquake and tsunami disaster. Multiple logistic regression analysis of survey data was used to examine the association between evacuation and various household factors. Findings show that increases in distance to shoreline were associated with a slightly decreased likelihood of evacuation, whereas households reporting higher income had an increased probability of evacuation. The response in American Samoa was an effective one, with only 34 fatalities in a tsunami that reached shore in as little as 15 minutes. Consequently, future research should implement more qualitative study designs to identify event and cultural specific determinants of household evacuation behaviour to local tsunamis.

<p>Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur ett globalt management konsultföretag arbetar internt med kunskapsöverföring över landsgränser av den svåruttryckliga erfarenhetsbaserade kunskapen som en konsult innehar. Den kvalitativa data som används i empirin samlades in genom intervjuer med anställda på fallföretaget Accenture. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att praktisk kunskap överförs genom formella sammankomster samt en ”learning by doing” modell där konsulter av olika nationaliteter och grad av erfarenhet arbetar tillsammans på olika projekt. Erfarenheter från projekt samlas, lagras och överförs till databasen Knowledge Exchange, i en process där den praktiska kunskapen transformeras till teoretisk kunskap och görs tillgänglig för hela företaget. Studien visar att Accenture har rutiner som gör att dem överkommer de flesta hinder som presenteras i den befintliga teorin. Det hinder som Accenture belyste som ett problem var informationsöverflödet som fanns inom företaget.</p> / <p>The purpose of the study is to study how a global management consulting firm works internally with knowledge transfer across national borders of the hard to express, experience-based knowledge of a consultant. The qualitative data which is presented in the empirical part of the paper was collected through interviews with employees at the case firm Accenture. The result of the study showed that practical knowledge is transferred through formal meetings, and a “learning by doing” process, where consultants of different nationalities and degrees of experience work together on projects. Experiences from projects are collected, stored, and transferred to the Knowledge Exchange database, in a process where the practical knowledge is transformed into theoretical knowledge and made available to the entire company. The study shows that Accenture has routines that help them overcome most of the impediments presented in the existing theory. The impediment that Accenture expressed to be a problem within their organization was information overflow.</p>

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur ett globalt management konsultföretag arbetar internt med kunskapsöverföring över landsgränser av den svåruttryckliga erfarenhetsbaserade kunskapen som en konsult innehar. Den kvalitativa data som används i empirin samlades in genom intervjuer med anställda på fallföretaget Accenture. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att praktisk kunskap överförs genom formella sammankomster samt en ”learning by doing” modell där konsulter av olika nationaliteter och grad av erfarenhet arbetar tillsammans på olika projekt. Erfarenheter från projekt samlas, lagras och överförs till databasen Knowledge Exchange, i en process där den praktiska kunskapen transformeras till teoretisk kunskap och görs tillgänglig för hela företaget. Studien visar att Accenture har rutiner som gör att dem överkommer de flesta hinder som presenteras i den befintliga teorin. Det hinder som Accenture belyste som ett problem var informationsöverflödet som fanns inom företaget. / The purpose of the study is to study how a global management consulting firm works internally with knowledge transfer across national borders of the hard to express, experience-based knowledge of a consultant. The qualitative data which is presented in the empirical part of the paper was collected through interviews with employees at the case firm Accenture. The result of the study showed that practical knowledge is transferred through formal meetings, and a “learning by doing” process, where consultants of different nationalities and degrees of experience work together on projects. Experiences from projects are collected, stored, and transferred to the Knowledge Exchange database, in a process where the practical knowledge is transformed into theoretical knowledge and made available to the entire company. The study shows that Accenture has routines that help them overcome most of the impediments presented in the existing theory. The impediment that Accenture expressed to be a problem within their organization was information overflow.

AbstractThis degree project focuses motivation for learning English among a group of Swedish uppersecondary school students. By employing a socio-educational perspective, some vital factorsbehind a strong motivation for learning English in school are investigated through individualinterviews. Components in the past, heralding either a high level of motivation for English or a low such, are primarily focused. Moreover, essential socio-educational factors behind managing to achieve grades in English despite a low level of motivation and various impediments, such as severe socio-psychological adversities, are looked into. While motivation for English is emphasized as a critical factor, in accordance with socio-educational motivation theory, the study also stresses the importance of a positive first encounter with the English language, a satisfying English teacher-student relationship, and a sense of success in the English classroom. But above all, the study stresses a need for early tests among young students for reading disabilities, which according to this study often go undetected and thus severely impede any kind of second language learning and motivation.

Automated software test execution is a critical part of the modern software development process, where rapid feedback on the product quality is expected. It is of high importance that impediments related to test execution automation are prevented and removed as quickly as possible. An enabling factor for all types of improvement is to understand the nature of what is to be improved. The goal with this thesis is to further the knowledge about common problems encountered by software developers using test execution automation, in order to enable improvement of test execution automation in industrial software development. The research has been performed through industrial case studies and literature reviews. The analysis of the data have primarily been performed using qualitative methods, searching for patterns, themes, and concepts in the data.  Our main findings include: (a) a comprehensive list of potential impediments reported in the published body of knowledge on test execution automation, (b) an in-depth analysis of how such impediments may affect the performance of a development team, and (c) a proposal for a qualitative model of interactions between the main groups of phenomena that contribute to the formation of impediments in a test execution automation project. In addition to this, we contribute qualitative and quantitative empirical data from our industrial case studies.  Through our results, we find that test execution automation is a commonly under-estimated activity,  not only in terms of resources but also in terms of the complexity of the work. There is a clear tendency to perform the work ad hoc, down-prioritize the automation in favor of other activities,  and ignore the long-term effects in favor of short-term gains. This is both a technical and a cultural problem that need to be managed by awareness of the problems that may arise, and also have to be solved in the long term through education and information. We conclude by proposing a theoretical model of the socio-technical system that needs to be managed to be successful with test execution automation. / Syftet med denna avhandling är att utöka den vetenskapliga kunskapen om problem som kan uppstå under användning av automatiserad testning i industriell programvaruutveckling. Utveckling av programvara består principiellt av ett antal processteg: kravbehandling, detaljerad systemkonstruktion, implementation i form av programmering, och slutligen testning som säkerställer att kvaliteten på programvaran är tillräcklig för dess tilltänkta användare. Testning representerar en stor del av tiden och kostnaden för utveckling av programvaran, och detta gör att det är attraktivt att automatisera testningen. Automatiserade tester kan bidra med många positiva effekter. Testning som utförs om och om igen, för att säkerställa att gammal funktionalitet inte slutar att fungera när ändringar görs i programvaran, kan med fördel göras automatiserat. Detta frigör kvalificerad personal till kvalificerat arbete. Automatisering kan även minska ledtiden för testningen och därmed möjliggöra snabbare leveranser till kund. Ett annat mål med testautomatisering är att vara säker på att samma tester utförs på ett likartat sätt varje gång produkten testas, så att den håller en jämn och stabil kvalitetsnivå. Automatiserad testning är dock en mer komplex och kostsam verksamhet än vad man kan tro, och problem som uppstår under dess användning kan ha stora konsekvenser. Detta gäller i ännu större utsträckning i organisationer som använder moderna utvecklingsmetoder där automatisering är grundstenen för en effektiv kvalitetskontroll. För att kunna undvika så många problem som möjligt, är det därför mycket viktigt att förstå vad som händer när man använder testautomatisering i stor skala. Denna avhandling presenterar resultat från fallstudier i svensk industri, som, kombinerat med en systematisk genomgång av befintlig forskning inom området, har utförts för att söka djupare kunskap och möjligheter till generalisering. Arbetet har varit beskrivande, och förklarande, och bygger på empirisk forskningsmetodik.  I avhandlingen bidrar vi med (a) information om de problem relaterade till automatiserad testning som vi har identifierat i de empiriska fallstudierna, (b) en diskussion av dessa problem i relation till andra studier i området, (c) en systematisk litteraturstudie som ger en översikt över relevanta publikationer i området, (d) en analys av bevisen som insamlats genom litteraturstudien, samt (e) en modell av det organisatoriska och tekniska system som måste hanteras för att man skall nå framgång med ett testautomatiseringsprojekt. Resultaten tyder på att rent tekniska problem inte utgör huvuddelen av de problem som upplevs med testautomatisering. Istället handlar det till stora delar om organisationell dynamik: hantering av förändringen det innebär att införa automatisering, planering av automatisering och dess användning, samt vilka finansiella förväntningar man har på automatiseringen. / ITS-EASY Post Graduate School for Embedded Software and Systems

The present article explains the main impediments for being a supplier of State in the actual regulation for public procurements. Then, the author analyses the way a wrong interpretation of the law can turn into a distortion of the legal propose, bringing a number of barriers that, in practice, affect the main goal the public procurement. / El presente artículo nos muestra los principales impedimentos existentes para ser proveedor del Estado en el actual régimen de contratación pública.Acto seguido, el autor analiza cómo una interpretación inadecuada de la norma puede llegar a desvirtuar el propósito para la que fue creada, creando una seria de trabas que, en la práctica, perjudican finalmente el objetivo de las contrataciones del Estado.

In Boston Massachusetts, Black and White women aged 50-74, experience limited access to breast cancer screening. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether there is a correlation between breast cancer screening access to personal healthcare providers among Black and White women, aged 50- 74, in Boston, MA. The study focused on whether there was a correlation between breast cancer screening access and socioeconomic status among women, and whether a correlation existed between breast cancer screening and their educational levels. The study was informed by the health belief psychological framework. The study consisted of secondary data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with a sample size of n =1815, 18 years and above. Exclusion criteria consisted of adults under age 40, women above age 74 diagnosed with cancer, and had mastectomies previously. A chi square test examined the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The key results showed a significant relation between race and access to healthcare providers. The study also found a significant relationship between low income levels and limited access. The study results portrayed a nonsignificant relationship between breast cancer screening and educational levels among black and white women. The results concluded that access to healthcare providers was significant among the races as well as their income levels. The study contributes to social change by promoting awareness through education of individuals, communities, organizations and the society at large.

Family businesses are a critical part of the African economy, yet many fail within one generation and most within two generations. Moreover, women are generally not part of leadership succession in family businesses due largely to institutional logics that serve as impediments to women in business leadership. The intent of this dissertation is to fill a gap in the research literature and knowledge on the experiences of female successors in African family businesses by investigating the influence of institutional logics (cultural, ownership, management and family factors) on the leadership succession of women in African family business. A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews was conducted with eight female leadership successors in African family business representing different industries. Participants were asked about their perceptions about being a woman in business, the nature of female succession in family-owned businesses, and impediments they perceive to the success of women in business. Ultimately, the findings uncovered various institutional, familial and individual impediments to women taking on leadership roles, such as institutional attitudes towards women, gender stereotypes, masculine attitudes of entrepreneurship, a lack of access to resources, and access to education and training amongst girls and women. Overall, this research contributes to theory and knowledge on how women’s succession in a family firm is affected by institutionalized African legal and sociocultural norms’ and the impact of management, ownership and family elements in family businesses. / Business Administration/International Business Administration