Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: We consider the problem of portfolio's asset allocation characterised by risk and return. Prior to the 2007-2008 financial crisis, this important problem was tackled using mainly the Markowitz mean-variance framework. However, throughout the past decade of challenging markets, particularly for equities, this framework has exhibited multiple drawbacks. Today many investors approach this problem with a 'safety first' rule that puts risk management at the heart of decision-making. Risk-based strategies have gained a lot of popularity since the recent financial crisis. One of the 'trendiest' of the modern risk-based strategies is the Risk Parity model, which puts diversification in terms of risk, but not in terms of dollar values, at the core of portfolio risk management. Inspired by the works of Maillard et al. (2010), Bruder and Roncalli (2012), and Roncalli and Weisang (2012), we examine the reliability and relationship between the traditional mean-variance framework and risk parity. We emphasise, through multiple examples, the non-diversification of the traditional mean-variance framework. The central focus of this thesis is on examining the main Risk-Parity strategies, i.e. the Inverse Volatility, Equal Risk Contribution and the Risk Budgeting strategies. Lastly, we turn our attention to the problem of maximizing the absolute expected value of the logarithmic portfolio wealth (sometimes called the drift term) introduced by Oderda (2013). The drift term of the portfolio is given by the sum of the expected price logarithmic growth rate, the expected cash flow, and half of its variance. The solution to this problem is a linear combination of three famous risk-based strategies and the high cash flow return portfolio. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ons kyk na die probleem van batetoewysing in portefeuljes wat gekenmerk word deur risiko en wins. Voor die 2007-2008 finansiele krisis, was hierdie belangrike probleem deur die Markowitz gemiddelde-variansie raamwerk aangepak. Gedurende die afgelope dekade van uitdagende markte, veral vir aandele, het hierdie raamwerk verskeie nadele getoon. Vandag, benader baie beleggers hierdie probleem met 'n 'veiligheid eerste' reël wat risikobestuur in die hart van besluitneming plaas. Risiko-gebaseerde strategieë het baie gewild geword sedert die onlangse finansiële krisis. Een van die gewildste van die moderne risiko-gebaseerde strategieë is die Risiko- Gelykheid model wat diversifikasie in die hart van portefeulje risiko bestuur plaas. Geïnspireer deur die werke van Maillard et al. (2010), Bruder and Roncalli (2012), en Roncalli and Weisang (2012), ondersoek ons die betroubaarheid en verhouding tussen die tradisionele gemiddelde-variansie raamwerk en Risiko- Gelykheid. Ons beklemtoon, deur middel van verskeie voorbeelde, die niediversifikasie van die tradisionele gemiddelde-variansie raamwerk. Die sentrale fokus van hierdie tesis is op die behandeling van Risiko-Gelykheid strategieë, naamlik, die Omgekeerde Volatiliteit, Gelyke Risiko-Bydrae en Risiko Begroting strategieë. Ten slotte, fokus ons aandag op die probleem van maksimering van absolute verwagte waarde van die logaritmiese portefeulje welvaart (soms genoem die drif term) bekendgestel deur Oderda (2013). Die drif term van die portefeulje word gegee deur die som van die verwagte prys logaritmiese groeikoers, die verwagte kontantvloei, en die helfte van die variansie. Die oplossing vir hierdie probleem is 'n lineêre kombinasie van drie bekende risiko-gebaseerde strategieë en die hoë kontantvloei wins portefeulje.

Adequate pain assessment is a pre-requisite for appropriate pain management. If pain remains untreated in critically ill young children, it can have dramatic short- and long-term consequences on their health and development. Apart from humanitarian reasons, the assessment of pain has been recognised in some parts of the world as the fifth vital sign and thus should be part of standard practice of pain management. The evaluation of pain in preverbal children is, nevertheless, challenging for health professionals, as they cannot rely on self-report when making their assessment. Observational pain instruments have been developed to facilitate this task, but none of these existing instruments are appropriate for the postoperative critically ill young child. The aim of this research was to provide a clinically valid pain instrument for health professionals to use in practice for the evaluation of the pain and the effectiveness of pain treatment in critically ill young children. This thesis presents research that was conducted in three phases to (a) describe pain, (b) develop, and (c) test the pain instrument. Conceptualisation of pain and psychometric theory informed the conceptual framework for this study. An observational design was used in Phase One of the study to define pain behaviour in critically ill infants. Correlational design was used in Phase Two and Three to determine the association between the newly developed pain scale and other pain assessment instruments. Phase One of the study was conducted in the paediatric intensive care units of two tertiary referral hospitals. Eight hundred and three recorded segments were generated from recordings of five critically ill infants, aged between 0 and 9 months, who had undergone major surgery. / Results indicated significant physiological and behavioural changes in response to postoperative pain and when postoperative pain was exacerbated by painful procedures. Using the pain indicators observed in Phase One, in Phase Two the Multidimensional Assessment Pain Scale (MAPS) was developed and tested for reliability and validity in 43 postoperative preverbal children from the same settings. Internal consistency and interrater reliability were moderate and good, respectively. Concurrent and convergent validity was good. In Phase Three, the MAPS' response to analgesics and clinical utility was demonstrated in a convenience sample of 19 postoperative critically ill children aged between 0 and 3 1 months of age at a tertiary referral hospital in Western Australia. Development of a pain instrument is a complex and lengthy process. This study presents the preliminary psychometric properties that support the validity and clinical utility of the Multidimensional Assessment Pain Scale. The MAPS is a promising tool for assessing postoperative pain in critically ill young children, and its clinical validity will be strengthened with further testing and evaluation.

In South Africa today, the challenge is to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system. This transformation of the higher education system is necessary in order to serve a new social order. The introduction of outcomes-based education and training requires a new approach to education, including the process of assessment. An outcomes-based approach to education and training focuses on continuous assessment through the use of a range of assessment methods. The Ministry of Education tasked the National Department of Education to embark on a review of their academic programmes. This review has been in response to register programmes on the National Qualifications Framework. This review has also been part of an attempt to improve the quality of qualifications. In most learning organisations, assessment and learning have always been closely related. If assessment has not simply been seen as the end point in learning but has been an important component in the design of the learning process itself, this statement will be severely tested by the movement towards an outcomes model for education and training. The primary aim of the study was to develop a conceptual model for the management of the impleme tation of a continuous assessment plan in a university of technology by means of aliterature study and an empirical investigation. Currently, information regarding the conceptualisation of this topic is inadequate and vague. If the nature of the complexities involved in the management and implementation of CASS at universities of technology are known, a conceptualised model can be developed for the effective management of the implementation thereof. The implementation of an integrated model of assessment requires the creation of an enabling environment in which the model can be implemented. This study has found that this is not true for many universities of technology, as: • programme design still rests on subjects that are not aimed at outcome-based models; • administrative systems are not designed to accommodate the recording of continuous assessments; • students, lecturers and other stakeholders have not undergone the necessary training regarding the change in paradigm from content-based to outcomebased education; and • policy regarding modularisation and continuous assessment has not yet been defined and implemented. The study serves to present a useable model for the management of the implementation of continuous assessment at universities of technology. The study is based on a balanced opinion as the experiences of both lecturers and students were investigated by means of structured questionnaires. The findings were verified by means of a focus group interview with administrative staff involved with continuous assessment. The model that was developed is a usable model as it was subjected to a number of verification tests. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Teaching and Learning))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Questa tesi di dottorato consiste nello sviluppo di una metodologia per gestire il rischio attentati terroristici contro infrastrutture fisiche per proprietari o gestori di impianti appartenenti ad infrastrutture critiche. / This Ph.D. thesis consists in developing a terrorism risk management framework (TRMF) to guide critical infrastructure facilities' owners and operators in their decision making process related to the risk of terrorism.

In South Africa today, the challenge is to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system. This transformation of the higher education system is necessary in order to serve a new social order. The introduction of outcomes-based education and training requires a new approach to education, including the process of assessment. An outcomes-based approach to education and training focuses on continuous assessment through the use of a range of assessment methods. The Ministry of Education tasked the National Department of Education to embark on a review of their academic programmes. This review has been in response to register programmes on the National Qualifications Framework. This review has also been part of an attempt to improve the quality of qualifications. In most learning organisations, assessment and learning have always been closely related. If assessment has not simply been seen as the end point in learning but has been an important component in the design of the learning process itself, this statement will be severely tested by the movement towards an outcomes model for education and training. The primary aim of the study was to develop a conceptual model for the management of the impleme tation of a continuous assessment plan in a university of technology by means of aliterature study and an empirical investigation. Currently, information regarding the conceptualisation of this topic is inadequate and vague. If the nature of the complexities involved in the management and implementation of CASS at universities of technology are known, a conceptualised model can be developed for the effective management of the implementation thereof. The implementation of an integrated model of assessment requires the creation of an enabling environment in which the model can be implemented. This study has found that this is not true for many universities of technology, as: • programme design still rests on subjects that are not aimed at outcome-based models; • administrative systems are not designed to accommodate the recording of continuous assessments; • students, lecturers and other stakeholders have not undergone the necessary training regarding the change in paradigm from content-based to outcomebased education; and • policy regarding modularisation and continuous assessment has not yet been defined and implemented. The study serves to present a useable model for the management of the implementation of continuous assessment at universities of technology. The study is based on a balanced opinion as the experiences of both lecturers and students were investigated by means of structured questionnaires. The findings were verified by means of a focus group interview with administrative staff involved with continuous assessment. The model that was developed is a usable model as it was subjected to a number of verification tests. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Teaching and Learning))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Dams are large hydraulic structures constructed to meet various project demands. Their roles in both environment and the economy of a country are so important that their design and construction should be carried out for negligibly small risk. Conventional design approaches are deterministic, which ignore variations of the governing variables. To offset this limitation, high safety factors are considered that increase the cost of the structure. Reliability&ndash / based design approaches are probabilistic in nature since possible sources of uncertainties associated with the variables are identified using statistical information, which are incorporated into the reliability models. Risk analysis with the integration of risk management and risk assessment is a growing trend in dam safety. A computer program, named CADAM, which is based on probabilistic treatment of random loading and resistance terms using Monte&ndash / Carlo simulation technique, can be used for the safety analysis of gravity dams. A case study is conducted to illustrate the use of this program.

This thesis develops and validates a comprehensive methodology for measuring sustainability of a large river basin by using a tailored indicator set. The concept of river sustainability concerns not only the ecological condition of the river course, but also socioeconomic activities in the river basin. River sustainability is defined from five perspectives: sufficient resource, resilience to water-related risks, access to water supply and other services, productive use of water, and fairness between different users and generations. The Process Analysis Method (PAM) is employed as the guideline for developing sustainability assessment framework. As a participatory approach, PAM engages stakeholders to identify emerging issues and impacts on sustainability. Through a systematic process, a tailored indicator set is selected and categorized under three domains, namely, environmental performance, social wellbeing, and economic development. Two case studies have been undertaken, examining the underlying sustainability of the Lower Yellow River basin (LYR) and Upper Ganges River basin (UGR). Extensive fieldwork was carried out in China and India, in order to conduct stakeholder interviews and to collect multivariate data. 18 indicators are selected for LYR and 12 for UGR. The LYR assessment is conducted over the period from 1950 to 2010, whilst UGR features a 10-year period from 2001 to 2010. By processing raw hydrological data and socio-economic statistics, a normalized score is calculated for each indicator in a given year, the value ranging between 0 and 1, where 0 represents poor performance and 1 refers to a fully sustainable status. The results show that, although social wellbeing and economic status for LYR have progressively improved since 1950, environmental quality declined in the latter half of 20th century, with the lowest point in 1997 when extreme drought occurred. The Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC), the government authority responsible for the LYR, implemented measures to improve the river health by multifunctional infrastructure projects and water allocation regulation. This effort proved to be effective as the general sustainability performance subsequently improved. The UGR study also identifies the trade-off between environmental capital and socioeconomic capital. With vast expansion of hydropower projects and new settlement in flood-prone areas, communities along the UGR are increasingly vulnerable to extreme events. However, the Ganges river basin authority lacks the capacity for integrated planning which would enable projects like flood defence schemes to be undertaken in a proper framework. It is likely that the environmental performance of the UGR will continue to decline, particularly with increasing uncertainty in climate, as the UGR basin management is not improving resilience sufficiently. By performing this comparative analysis, it has been shown that integrated river basin management should incorporate institutional capacity, stakeholder engagement, resilience and transparency. This research also contributes to underpinning policies for Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). The assessment provides policy-makers and river managers with a holistic view of the river basin; the framework can be used to track progress towards sustainable development and identify priorities for multi-criteria decision-making.

My Diploma Thesis is oriented to the research of the effect of organizational structure on employees’ motivation in a selected enterprise. The motivation system has to be set so that it could satisfy the wishes of both the employees and enterprise owners, or the management. This system should be clear and comprehensible for all the involved persons, and should also support all the processes that are under way in the given enterprise. The aim of this Thesis is to establish developmental possibilities of the motivation system in an enterprise, based on analysis of theoretical findings which are mentioned in the first part of the Thesis, and to propose measures for better employees’ satisfaction based on analysis of the current state in the enterprise, as mentioned in the second part of the Thesis.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / MBA Professional Report / Over the years, the United Nations' (UN) peacekeeping operations have increased significantly. When a crisis develops, the UN is expected to respond. It examines the overall situation in order to assess the political and military goals, required composition of force, equipment, training, financial implications, circumstances of deployment and effectiveness of the peacekeeping operation required. The UN does not have any permanent force structure; it is dependent on its member States for contribution of forces, though the equipment may or may not be provided by the troops' contributing countries. The UN has a standard procedure for acquiring peacekeeping operations/services. The process is a contract between the UNDPKO and the troops' contributing countries. Though there are similarities betweeen UN-followed contract management process and the generaly accepted contract management process identified in the contract management body of knowledge, there are many differences as well. The purpose of this study is both to evaluate the existing UN contract management process being followed to acquire peacekeeping operations/services from various troops' contributing countries against the generally accepted contract management process identified in the contract management body of knowledge as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the UN contract management process maturity so as to assess the effectiveness of the UN contract management process for obtaining peacekeeping operations/services from troops' contributing countries.

Thesis (M. Sc.(Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Global production of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) is dominated by South Africa due to its large economic resources base in the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC). PGMs are used in a wide range of high technology applications worldwide including medicinal, industrial and commercial purposes, and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating jobs for many. In an area where mining activities dominate, there are likely to be problems that need effective environmental management approaches, which can be facilitated through legislations. Marula Platinum Mine (MPM) is located in Limpopo province BIC which has the second largest number of mining productivity in South Africa. Environmental legislations have been put in place by the South African government in order to avoid or minimise the footprints caused by PGM mining. This study looked at environmental compliance with solid waste management practices by Marula Platinum Mine (MPM) as guided by Mineral and Petroleum and Resource Development Act (MPRDA) and National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) as well as the environmental impacts of MPM in the surrounding communities. Both primary (questionnaires, field observations and key informant interviews) and secondary (NEMA, MPRDA, journals, reports, pamphlets, internet and books) data was used to address the objectives of the study. Descriptive method and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 were used for the analysis of data. The key research results revealed that MPM was compliant with 65% and 21% partially compliant with solid waste management practices. Only 14% of information on solid waste management practices could not be accessed because MPM is still operational. MPM had also had negative footprints on the surrounding villages such as dust generation and cracks on walls and floors on houses of community members, strikes and increase in the usage of substance abuse. Recommendations of the study are that MPM should address challenges that hinder environmental compliance so as to be 100% compliant with MPRDA and NEMA regulations. MPM should also provide other mitigation measures for blasting of explosives to reduce dust generation and problems of cracks on houses of surrounding village members.