The family Onchidiidae is perhaps one of the most neglected the Gastropoda. This is rather surprising since it affinities to both the Opisthobranchia and Pulmonata, so is of importance with regard to the phylogenetic relationships of these two groups. As would be expected, the Onchidiidae have been classed sometimes as opisthobranchs and at others as pulmonates , but the latest work on the subject, that of Fretter (1943), regards them as an early offshoot from the main stem of the opisthobranchs. In the New Zealand region only one Genus, Onchidella, is represented, Apart from early accounts of the systematics of the group, and a more recent one (McDowall 1943, unpublished thesis) on anatomy, there has been no research into any other aspect. This has left an open field for the present study, Recourse to what literature there was on the New Zealand Onchidiidae, revealed the necessity for a re-examination of the taxonomy of the Genus. Descriptions of the six species given in Suter's manual (1913) were notable for their lack of characterization of the species. To clarify the systematics it was found to be necessary to study the external morphology and anatomy of animals from all over New Zealand. Naturally enough this lead to the accumulation of details regarding their distribution. Once the various species could be identified with certainty, all further observations were concentrated on on one species, Onchidella nigricans. An ideal site for research into the ecology and reproduction of this species was discovered at Gladstone Pier in the Lyttelton Harbour. As far as general ecology was concerned, investigations were restricted to studies on the habitat and homing behaviour, while population dynamics constituted an interesting analysis of the aggregations of animals in the crevices to which the animals home. Reproduction was investigated under the headings of breeding and development; breeding covering copul ation and oviposition and development the anatomical changes and reorganisations necessary during the transformation of the egg to a young adult. To confirm the breeding times gametogenesis was studied, this also showing the cyclical changes undergone by the gonads during the year. In the conclusions the relations of the family are discussed in the light of a recent paper by Fretter (1943), and of the research carried out in this thesis.

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LCA was used to compare the environmental impacts of two different passenger tubs being designed for the GO-4 vehicle. Based on the results, the adoption of biomaterials clearly displays many benefits. / May 2017

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how e-business might be integrated into a strategical framework. The strategical framework was based on the Nilsson and Rapp (2005) strategical framework, and e-business strategies were mainly based on customer relationship management strategies that are used in e-commerce companies. We selected Gröndals Apotek, Nu3 and Apotek Hjärtat as our sample, semi-structured interviews as our method and we found that given the external factors in the business environment, retaining and extending online marketing strategies could be integrated into the corporate strategy without taking into consideration of the firm-size. In addition, we found that e-business acquisition strategies such as SEM and blogs were more useful for different firm-sizes in order to create strategic congruence of integrating e-business into the corporate strategy. Lastly, online customer service and pricing were two features that could be appropriate features in the integrated online marketing strategies that aim’s in displaying the competitive advantage.

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This study investigates Life Cycle Hypothesis savings behaviour among South African households. The mobility matrix methodology as well as a multivariate regression analysis was employed to assess the implications of a permanent increase and a temporary decrease in household incomes based on the impacts of the global financial crisis. Using the General Household Survey data from 2002 - 2010, the study concludes that life cycle savings were greater during the period of 2002 - 2004 (,pre-financial crisis') compared with the period of 2008 - 2010 (,post-financial crisis'). Overall, the global financial crisis significantly negatively impacted household retirement savings.

Most newly constructed schools begin life as places of hope, enthusiasm, energy, and creativity. In many ways they might be considered 'moving' schools. Such schools strive to anticipate and change with the times. Within a relatively short time, however, a significant number of new schools evolve, indeed regress, into conventional schools. This loss of initial momentum and innovative direction experienced by many newly established schools occurs because of what this study describes as the `attrition' of change. This thesis presents an historical case study of a secondary school that was once one of Canada's most renowned, innovative schools in the 1970s, and now 26 years later, can be described as a conventional secondary school. Based on interviews with three cohorts of teachers and administrators who worked in the school in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the study provides an opportunity for inquiring into and analysing the attrition of educational change. The evidence of this study of the history of an innovative school points to the existence of an ironic change dynamic, and a dual meaning for the title 'the attrition of change'. There is a natural tendency for the school itself to experience attrition and over time to lose much of its early momentum and innovativeness. This pattern, however, is usually accelerated by hostility from the school's larger professional and parental communities who perceive the school's innovations to be a threat to long held educational beliefs and practices. The staff members of the innovative school feel that their inordinately hard work is unappreciated and misunderstood, turn inward to school colleagues for protection and support and adopt a less venturesome approach to innovation and change. In the short term, therefore, the innovative school's influence upon the larger system's attitude towards change tends to be quite negative. In the longer term, however, the innovative school seems to exert significant impact beyond its own walls through the rule-breaking precedents it sets that open up opportunities for others, and through the key leaders it spawns who take their innovative images of schooling to other parts of the system, and initiate change elsewhere. Changes in one part of a system inevitably affect changes in the larger system. Innovative schools, therefore, can erode obstacles to change in the larger system and create a climate of experimentation where one may not have existed previously, thus the second meaning of the `attrition of change'.