The aim of the research was to explore the subjective experience of patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Sub-aims were to explore how these experiences relate to self management, stress and psychological well-being. This study was motivated by research literature that documents a wide variety of negative experiences by patients. A recent psychiatric patient survey conducted in England and Wales (Mind, 2004) found that more than 50% of respondents indicated that hospital surroundings had not helped their recovery. In fact, close to a third of those thought that it had a detrimental effect on their health. Wood and Pistrang (2004) found that psychiatric patients often represent a lower status, marginalized group in society and thus their views are often not taken into account in mainstream research. These results, however, were overwhelmingly based on research conducted in an American or European context. The South African context is unique in the sense of our political, economic and social issues that influence people's perceptions. In relation to other developing and developed nations little research has been done. The research was conducted at a large Psychiatric hospital in Pretoria South Africa. An availability sample of five adults from the hospital was used. A qualitative case study method design was used. Data were obtained through interviews and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (PA) (Smith, 1996; Smith et al., 1997, 1999) Using the IPA method the data was analysed to extract significant or relevant points related to the research topic. These themes were then collated with themes that occur in other accounts and from there tested against the hypothesised outcomes of the investigation. Positive experiences and negative experiences were identified as the main themes; these were each divided into sub themes. The negative experiences related primarily to interaction with hospital staff and -environment, while positive experiences primarily related to effective treatment. Implications of results are that patient experiences and perceptions may be more influential for long term psychological wellbeing than has been acknowledged by care givers within larger mental healthcare facilities. It was concluded that many if not all of the results of previous studies were confirmed. Additionally this study recognised that singular positive experiences may to a greater degree influence patients recovery and maintenance than a combination of negative experiences. Recommendations following from the findings include further studies to assess enhanced interpersonal skills training for nursing staff, and greater community based care facilities. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The aim of the research was to explore the subjective experience of patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Sub-aims were to explore how these experiences relate to self management, stress and psychological well-being. This study was motivated by research literature that documents a wide variety of negative experiences by patients. A recent psychiatric patient survey conducted in England and Wales (Mind, 2004) found that more than 50% of respondents indicated that hospital surroundings had not helped their recovery. In fact, close to a third of those thought that it had a detrimental effect on their health. Wood and Pistrang (2004) found that psychiatric patients often represent a lower status, marginalized group in society and thus their views are often not taken into account in mainstream research. These results, however, were overwhelmingly based on research conducted in an American or European context. The South African context is unique in the sense of our political, economic and social issues that influence people's perceptions. In relation to other developing and developed nations little research has been done. The research was conducted at a large Psychiatric hospital in Pretoria South Africa. An availability sample of five adults from the hospital was used. A qualitative case study method design was used. Data were obtained through interviews and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (PA) (Smith, 1996; Smith et al., 1997, 1999) Using the IPA method the data was analysed to extract significant or relevant points related to the research topic. These themes were then collated with themes that occur in other accounts and from there tested against the hypothesised outcomes of the investigation. Positive experiences and negative experiences were identified as the main themes; these were each divided into sub themes. The negative experiences related primarily to interaction with hospital staff and -environment, while positive experiences primarily related to effective treatment. Implications of results are that patient experiences and perceptions may be more influential for long term psychological wellbeing than has been acknowledged by care givers within larger mental healthcare facilities. It was concluded that many if not all of the results of previous studies were confirmed. Additionally this study recognised that singular positive experiences may to a greater degree influence patients recovery and maintenance than a combination of negative experiences. Recommendations following from the findings include further studies to assess enhanced interpersonal skills training for nursing staff, and greater community based care facilities. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Open cut coal mining in the Bowen Basin of central Queensland had disturbed in excess of 55,000 ha by the turn of the 21st century and 72,000 ha by 2006. Strong export demand in recent years (since approximately 2000) has led to greater production from existing mines and to a proliferation of new ones. Therefore, over the ensuing decades, the level of mining activity can be expected to increase substantially the areas of erstwhile agricultural land that are disturbed. As mines exhaust their resources, companies will be obliged to achieve acceptable end uses for the various domains at those sites. The possibility of having successfully rehabilitated domains at selected sites certified on a progressive basis holds some appeal. While all stakeholder groups find a return of the land to its prior use (extensive cattle-grazing) an appealing goal, mining companies walk a tight-rope. The legislation under which the early mines were established does not bind them as tightly to the environmentally friendly outcomes as applies to new mines. Nonetheless, recent legislative trends as well as companies’ own policies, encourage them to exceed society’s environmental expectations. Regardless of the end use that is designated, relinquishment is permitted only subject to a satisfactory assessment of the risks to its sustainability. Cattle-grazing is considered as a suitable end use, partly because the return of mined land to its prior use is preferred to its designation to some other use and partly because cattle could serve to reduce the bulk of pasture growth that occurs at some sites, reducing the risk of erosion if an intense fire were to occur followed by heavy rain. Graziers’ primary motivation for seeking tenure of mined land is financial. Factors that determine both a site’s productivity and its commercial ‘worthwhileness’ are examined in this research. The major focus of this research however, is the style of management that the custodial grazier may employ. Since any future custodian is likely to be a local landholder (perhaps the grazier family from whom the land was originally acquired for mining some decades earlier), it is the management style of local farmers that is of primary interest. Some graziers use the land more intensively than others: some with more sensitivity than others. Since the reconstructed landscape is inherently more fragile than undisturbed land, differences in management style could be critical to the sustainability of grazing. Factors driving, or at least being associated with, farmers’ land management decisions were identified from prior research as draft components of a risk assessment model for grazing. A survey of the characteristics and circumstances of Bowen Basin graziers was then conducted with a view to modelling their influence on graziers’ land management style. The survey ascertained the prior probabilities among the target graziers of the elements being modelled. An estimate of the role of these factors in shaping land management decisions was then obtained by eliciting the opinions of industry experts. These processes allowed development of a predictive model that estimates the likelihood of conservative and sensitive land management under various scenarios of site characteristics and grazier-based factors. Output from the model showed that the capital circumstances of a grazier’s business have an influence over the predicted management style of 25% of the difference between best-case and worst-case scenarios. There is a 17% greater likelihood of low-risk grazing where a grazier strongly wants tenure of the land for reasons that go beyond financial gain. The grazier’s underlying values and attitudes to land management account for a further 14%, followed by the operational structure of the business (12%), and the external climatic and economic environment (9%). Interventions that mining companies could implement to increase the likelihood of low-risk management has an influence of 23%. The credibility of the model’s output was evaluated by reference to real-life experiences of graziers who have managed cattle on mined land and their miner counterparts. Consistency of opinion among the consulted experts also contributed to the confidence that can be placed in the model’s findings. The model identifies the sources of risk if currently available mined land is used for grazing. It improves understanding of the situation in a holistic manner, and predicts the likelihood of low-risk grazing management under scenarios of interest to the user. The model identifies actions that mining companies could take to reduce risks associated with graziers’ management style. The model may also guide future rehabilitation work by highlighting features of rehabilitation that would make them more suited to commercially feasible and low-risk cattle production – or by purposefully and transparently planning for cattle-grazing not to be the designated end use.

This thesis focuses on test management tools and automated testing. The project covers analysis of existing open source tools and proposes its own BDD orientated test management tool in the form of a web service. The project aims to specify and design this application based on the process of Behaviour driven development. The resulting application TestBuDDy allows for test library management. Changes on the test library are projected onto a remote repository of software under test (SUT) and triggers a test run (the test library is being run against SUT by the BDD framework). TestBuDDy is able to save the test run results, parse them into a report and generate and group found issues. The application also allows requirement management and user management. The application is integrated with the CI/CD tool Gitlab CI, the BDD framework JBehave and the issue tracker JIRA. The application is designed to help testers during their work and also to be expandable within the open source community.

A management training course was' evaluated for effectiveness by using two specially compiled in-basket exercises equivalent in complexity. Outcome evaluation was performed so as to determine whether learning transfer took place, ie whether management skills in the application of the management dimensions planning, organising and control do manifest in the work context afterwards. Significant differences were found between the experimental group and the control group in the application of the management dimensions planning, organising and control. These differences were investigated by means of the "Univariate procedure ... A management training course can therefore be effectively measured with the behaviour assessment approach by using two groups, where only one group is exposed to a management training course. It can thus be ascertained whether a change in management behaviour has taken place as a result of learning transfer. / Die effektiwiteit van 'n bestuursopleidingskursus is geevalueer deur twee spesiaal saamgestelde posmandjies van dieselfde moeilikheidsgraad te gebruik. Uitkomsevaluering is gedoen om te bepaal of leeroordrag plaasgevind het, met ander woorde of die nuut aangeleerde bestuursvaardighede in die toepassing van die bestuursdimensies beplanning, organisering en beheer wei na die tyd in die konteks van werksgedrag manifesteer. Beduidende verskille tussen die eksperimentele en die kontrolegroep is gevind in die toe passing van die bestuursdimensies beplanning, organisering en beheer. Die verskille is ondersoek met behulp van die "univariate procedure". 'n Bestuursopleidingskursus kan dus effektief vanuit die gedragsbeoordelingsbenadering gemeet word deur van twee groepe gebruik te maak waarvan slegs die een groep aan 'n bestuursopleidingskursus blootgestel word. Daar kan dus bepaal word of 'n verandering in bestuursgedrag plaasgevind het as 'n gevolg van leeroordrag. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

A management training course was' evaluated for effectiveness by using two specially compiled in-basket exercises equivalent in complexity. Outcome evaluation was performed so as to determine whether learning transfer took place, ie whether management skills in the application of the management dimensions planning, organising and control do manifest in the work context afterwards. Significant differences were found between the experimental group and the control group in the application of the management dimensions planning, organising and control. These differences were investigated by means of the "Univariate procedure ... A management training course can therefore be effectively measured with the behaviour assessment approach by using two groups, where only one group is exposed to a management training course. It can thus be ascertained whether a change in management behaviour has taken place as a result of learning transfer. / Die effektiwiteit van 'n bestuursopleidingskursus is geevalueer deur twee spesiaal saamgestelde posmandjies van dieselfde moeilikheidsgraad te gebruik. Uitkomsevaluering is gedoen om te bepaal of leeroordrag plaasgevind het, met ander woorde of die nuut aangeleerde bestuursvaardighede in die toepassing van die bestuursdimensies beplanning, organisering en beheer wei na die tyd in die konteks van werksgedrag manifesteer. Beduidende verskille tussen die eksperimentele en die kontrolegroep is gevind in die toe passing van die bestuursdimensies beplanning, organisering en beheer. Die verskille is ondersoek met behulp van die "univariate procedure". 'n Bestuursopleidingskursus kan dus effektief vanuit die gedragsbeoordelingsbenadering gemeet word deur van twee groepe gebruik te maak waarvan slegs die een groep aan 'n bestuursopleidingskursus blootgestel word. Daar kan dus bepaal word of 'n verandering in bestuursgedrag plaasgevind het as 'n gevolg van leeroordrag. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

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