Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, page: 0349. Adviser: John R. Herbold. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oxford Graduate School, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [128]-137).

Thesis (M. Div.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tenn., 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-119).

This research investigates the relationship among the stakeholders during the strategic planning process in an airline company. The concept of involving stakeholders in strategic planning is based on the assumption that engaging stakeholders in a meaningful way will increase the benefits for both the organization and the stakeholders. The growth trend of the company investigated has resulted in complexity due to the growth of its internal and external stakeholders and the influence that their relationships can have on strategic planning. Whereas studies have identified a number of factors that can influence stakeholder relations, it has also been suggested that relationships could further be influenced by host of other stakeholder-related attributes. It is in this context that the study answers the following research questions: (1) how do stakeholders understand their responsibilities in strategic planning?; (2) how do they perceive the importance of communication and coordination to their relationship during the planning process?; and (3) how do the stakeholders‘ expectations shape the challenges faced by the company and their relationship during strategic planning? The study employs the qualitative method of research using the interview technique to collect data to gain insights into how the participants perceive and make sense of their relationships during strategic planning in their company. The conceptual dimension of the study is premised on the two streams of meaning of relationships and the dynamics of stakeholder relations during strategic planning projected in the literature. The methodological dimension is premised on the importance of lived experience as a significant source of knowledge. In this respect, the study draws on phenomenology using narrative analysis and inductive content analysis in the treatment of data. Accordingly, the study found that stakeholders bring to the table a plethora of responsibilities which have significant upward and downward influences during strategic planning. There is a consensus among stakeholders on the general importance of the relational benefits of coordination and communication. Real time coordination and communication with external stakeholders is differentially perceived within the range of poor to excellent. Likewise, there is differential perception of the relational importance of communication in terms of organizational context. Whether the coordination among stakeholders is perceived as excellent or poor, the bottom line is that stakeholder relations in the company remains a challenge. Stakeholders have multiple expectations of the company strategic plan and the strategic planning process which further raises multi-faceted challenges to the company. Based on the findings the study came up with a model that highlights the streams of thought pursued in the study. The findings affirm the view that relationships result from what transpires, happens, or occurs during strategic planning. Likewise, the inherent connectivity that results from the social nature of individuals involved in the planning process is affirmed. The former is on account of the responsibilities of the stakeholders and the latter on account of the inherent value that stakeholders place on strategic planning. The quality and extent of stakeholder relations however is moderated by extent and quality of coordination and communication before and during the planning process.

Network systems, including transportation and logistic systems, electric power generation and distribution networks as well as financial networks, provide the critical infrastructure for the functioning of our societies and economies. The understanding of the dynamic behavior of such systems is also crucial to national security and prosperity. The identification of new connections between distinct network systems is the inspiration for the research in this dissertation. In particular, I answer two questions raised by Beckmann, McGuire, and Winsten (1956) and Copeland (1952) over half a century ago, which are, respectively, how are electric power flows related to transportation flows and does money flow like water or electricity? In addition, in this dissertation, I achieve the following: (1) I establish the relationships between transportation networks and three other classes of complex network systems: supply chain networks, electric power generation and transmission networks, and financial networks with intermediation. The establishment of such connections provides novel theoretical insights as well as new pricing mechanisms, and efficient computational methods. (2) I develop new modeling frameworks based on evolutionary variational inequality theory that capture the dynamics of such network systems in terms of the time-varying flows and incurred costs, prices, and, where applicable, profits. This dissertation studies the dynamics of such network systems by addressing both internal competition and/or cooperation, and external changes, such as varying costs and demands. (3) I focus, in depth, on electric power supply chains. By exploiting the relationships between transportation networks and electric power supply chains, I develop a large-scale network model that integrates electric power supply chains and fuel supply markets. The model captures both the economic transactions as well as the physical transmission constraints. The model is then applied to the New England electric power supply chain consisting of 6 states, 5 fuel types, 82 power generators, with a total of 573 generating units, and 10 demand markets. The empirical case study demonstrates that the regional electricity prices simulated by the model match very well the actual electricity prices in New England. I also utilize the model to study interactions between electric power supply chains and energy fuel markets.

Across the country, government agencies, NGOs and communities are coming together to manage their forests to reduce the risk of wildfire in the wildland urban interface. However, to have long-term impacts, communities must have the foundation necessary to continue these efforts after special programs have moved on or outside funding has been exhausted. Social capital may be one important component in sustaining wildfire preparedness as actions to increase wildfire preparedness are affected by decisions made at the individual and the community level. This study focuses on the essential components of social capital that are crucial in affecting community participation in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. In order to understand these relationships, a pilot study was developed to explore how perceptions of community preparedness efforts vary geographically in different ecosystems, forest types and USDA Forest Service regions at the national scale. Additionally, the study explores differences in perceptions of community preparedness between stakeholder groups, such as residents, fire officials, land managers, business/community leaders, and environmental advocates. Since preparedness involves both individual actions at the residential scale, as well as community actions such as planning and zoning, separate survey instruments were developed for local residents and community and government agency leaders. The study also analyzed the effect of variables like place attachment, past experience and previous involvement with wildfires, length and type of stay in the community, and affiliation with local organizations on creation or enhancement social capital as well as wildfire preparedness in the community in terms of change in defensible space actions, and change in people’ attitudes, understanding and outlook towards mitigation efforts over the years. This research has incorporated a mixed methods approach integrating both quantitative and qualitative research techniques because of the dual aspect of the research questions regarding the measure of social capital as well as the level of preparedness in the communities. Results from the pilot study conducted in six communities across the United States are discussed as the final outcome of this larger national scale project. Ultimately, the study provides insights about the underlying community variables that influence community preparedness actions and awareness about wildfire.

Bibliography: pages 96-108. / The period immediately after entering the teaching profession is of the utmost importance to beginner teachers. This is a moment when beginner teachers learn how to become competent in the classroom. More often than not, beginning teachers are generally expected to assume full responsibility of professional teachers from the first day they report to school. In this regard, the transition from being student teachers to qualified teachers is seen as unproblematic. The beginner teacher is seen as totally prepared to face the reality of teaching. However, literature on professional development indicates that beginner teachers experience a kind of "reality shock" in their first professional year. This research study explored the concerns and problems experienced by beginner teachers during their first years of teaching, at three historically different high schools in Cape Town. A literature survey investigating the realities and conditions of beginner teachers in their workplaces - both local and international was conducted. Furthermore, existing research concerning beginner teachers' professional growth was reviewed to shed light on the research area. A qualitative methodology was adopted in order to facilitate an in-depth understanding of the beginners' experience. Given the qualitative nature of my research topic, which dwells in-depth with people experiences, I found it convenient to use unstructured interviews as a means of collecting data. Unstructured later discussed.

Thesis (PhD (School of Public Management and Planning ))—Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study focuses on the determinants for the development of a human resource strategy in the Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC).The context is that a new regulatory framework for human resource development in South Africa, namely the National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS) was developed by the National Ministries of Education and Labour in 2001. The purpose of the NHRDS was to provide a plan to ensure that people in South Africa are equipped to fully participate in society, to be able to find or create work, and to benefit fairly from it. At the heart of the NHRDS is the belief that enhancing the general and specific abilities of all citizens is a necessary response to the current situation in South Africa. The hypothetical point of departure of this study is formulated in such a way that acceptance of it constitutes support for the findings obtained from the literature and observations on HRD strategies as well as the implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC. The problem for the purpose of this dissertation focuses on the research question: What is the role and context of HRD in the South African public service and does the implementation of the NHRDS justify the need and development of a HRD strategy in the PGWC? The qualitative research method that was chosen for this dissertation is the triangulation of grounded theory and a specific case study (mixed method). In this case, data used to provisionally assess the extent of implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC, are specific key documents. To facilitate the research, to identify the core theoretical concepts and to investigate the problems identified in this study, the focus was subdivided into five research objectives which are analysed in chapters two to six of the dissertation. These are: · To provide an analysis of the nature, development, scope and concepts of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Development (HRD), training, and education, in order to examine the influence of these important external variables on the process of HRD in a public sector organisational setting and to provide context to the need for a NHRDS in South Africa. · To provide an overview of the relevant trends of transformation in South Africa with a focus on the origin, nature and implications of the transformation of South Africa after 1994 as well as the impact of the public service transformation HRD interventions in general. · To provide a systemic exploration of the scope and legislative and policy framework for HRD in the public sector in South Africa in general through an overview of the NHRDS and other HRD education and training strategies in order to provide an exposition of the rationale of the NHRDS and to get clarity on the conceptualisation of HRD in terms of skills for service delivery in the public sector. · To provide an exploration of conceptual knowledge of the variables influencing HRD through the application of a literature and documentary study of the present strategies (both internal and external) of the PGWC to develop its human resources, in order to describe and analyse the outcomes of the NHRDS process in the PGWC as well as the strategies and procedures employed to implement the NHRDS in the PGWC. · To develop a set of indicators against which the interaction of the variables influencing a successful strategy for HRD can be measured through the implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC. The last chapter presents a synthesis of the study, taking into account the key findings. This dissertation is an attempt to make a contribution, in general, to the understanding of the role of the development of human resources through the NHRDS and is completed in the trust that the findings recorded here and the proposals made will be useful for future research. The potential benefits that can arise from the implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC are significant. It could create a virtuous circle of increased economic growth and employment, an improved standard of living, and a more educated and trained citizenry. In conclusion, it can be stated that the hypothetical point of departure that were formulated for this study, was proven to be correct in theory and practice.

Thesis (PhD (School of Public Management and Planning ))—University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The absence of an integrated risk management programme in local government in South Africa creates the danger that these risks are not identified, which could be catastrophic, and opportunities to minimise losses are not utilised. A further problem is that common risk-management terminology is lacking and management are dependent on diverse legislation as a guide to developing and implementing risk management. In order to achieve the strategic and operational objectives of local government in an effective and efficient manner, a pro-active identification and evaluation of potential risks should be established to minimise their impact. Officials on every level need to be informed about processes and techniques for managing risks and recalibrating activities to enable management to operate more effectively in risk-filled environments. Problems were identified that prevent management from providing reasonable assurance to stakeholders that the most significant risks are being addressed. These problems are as follows: the lack of applying risk management in an integrated manner; the enforcement of integrated risk management due to the lack of relevant legislation; a lack of training in risk management, ethics and risk response plans; a lack of practical techniques to assist officials in taking remedial action to prevent recurrence of risks; the absence of a risksensitive organisational culture; and a lack of commitment and leadership from politicians and management. Relevant legislation on integrated risk management should assist in embedding a culture where everyone in local government is obliged to adhere thereto and to conduct their dayto- day activities accordingly. A mission and vision statement needs to be developed and implemented with the consent of all stakeholders. Integrated risk-management processes, which are generally lacking or incomplete in local government, should be aligned with generic public management functions. An integrated risk-management programme can be enhanced by establishing a risk organisational structure within local government. The establishment of a risk management department and risk committee is essential to the enhancement of corporate governance and the management of risks that might have a negative impact on local government. Internal and external controls should be evaluated regularly to facilitate the riskmanagement programme. An Integrated Risk Monitoring Technique is proposed as a technique to assist stakeholders in identifying root causes of risks and the management thereof. A model of integrated risk management was designed to assist academics and practitioners to get a holistic perspective on integrated risk management and to assist in the management of risks.

Thesis (PhD (School of Public Management and Planning ))—University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This dissertation critically assesses and analyzes the institutional and political settings of public policymaking in Ethiopia in a space of three decades, from circa 1974. Based on data and/or information generated through a range of sources and instruments, it attempts to uncover the prominent actors in public policymaking in Ethiopia far beyond the official assertions that have formally been claimed in the statutory provisions. It appraises the institutions, their roles and leverage in the policymaking process, and the extent to which the profound institutional and political changes that have transpired over the past thirty years impacted on public policymaking, and with what effect. It examines the emergence and ascendance of a couple of closely linked institutions, namely the ruling party and the top echelon of the executive leadership, and the disproportionate influence they have on government, non-government institutions and overall public policymaking. The supremacy of the executive and its claims on policymaking had been pervasive during Haileselassie’s years, with absolute executive powers vested in the monarchy and the person of the emperor. The combined forces of party and executive leadership and their overwhelming dominance in public policymaking are relatively new conventions, phenomena and constructs which featured prominently in the aftermath of 1974. Ideology (Marxism- Leninism and revolutionary democracy) has since been a critical element guiding and as well as justifying policy elites’ claims on the choice of public policies and the institutional and structural mechanisms of implementing them. Wedged between staggering financial, managerial and organizational capacity, on the one hand, and an inhospitable politicoadministrative and legal milieu on the other, the civil society, a network of civil society institutions and the public over three decades appeared to have remained at the peripheral end in the continuum of public policymaking. The most formidable challenges that the Ethiopian public policymaking process has over the past thirty years experienced can therefore be thematically crystallized into three issues. Firstly, the emergence and consolidation of party and executive leadership (policy elites) has been the dominant phenomena over the last thirty years, with the ruling party institutions invariably overlapping with the formally constituted policymaking government structures. Secondly, not only ideology played a critical role in the choice of public policies and institutional instruments for implementing them, but also provided policy elites with the latitude to justify their claims on policy actions, although ideological values served to preclude the non-state players from making legitimate claims on policymaking. Lastly, the expansion of the powers of the party and the executive seemed to have taken place without a corresponding development of extra-bureaucratic institutions (i.e. elections and functioning legislatures) and civil societal associations, and which in turn boils down to the exclusion of the bulk of the Ethiopian public from playing its legitimate role in the policymaking process. The public policymaking process in Ethiopia has, therefore, witnessed imbalances at two levels: first, between the executive and the legislature, and second, between policy elites (the party-fused-with-executive structures/institutions), on the one hand, and ordinary citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) representing various interests, on the other. At both levels the party and the executive exact enormous power leverage. On the other hand, the ordinary citizens are highly disorganized, and tied up with attending to daily survival needs. Hence, they have little time to become fully and actively involved in holding government institutions accountable and responsive, articulating policy demands to policymaking institutions aside. The legislatures appear to have become a façade of legitimacy for party and executive decisions and are detached from the society. ` Finally, the dissertation puts forward proposals for more opportunities to give Ethiopian citizens of all walks of life a chance to influence policies and implementation outcomes. It suggests a range of options for greater and genuine public participation in the policymaking process, which would result in as much representative policy-making as enhancing the quality of services provided by policies and actual control of decisions by citizens. It also indicates Ethiopian academics’ charge in the new endeavor to launch independent think-tank and policy study institutions to foster professionalizing policymaking in Ethiopia.