The aim of this research was to determine which methodologies were found by expatriate managers to be most effective in the development of a global mindset. In support of this aim, the research also investigated whether a global mindset would vary depending on the methodologies experienced by expatriate managers ; and whether exposure to a combination of methodologies would lead to a higher level of global mindedness.A quantitative research approach was adopted with the unit of analysis being expatriate managers. Questionnaires were made available electronically. The collected data was coded and run through SAS version 9.2. Descriptive statistics were obtained to determine the respondent‟s level of global mindedness. Paired sample t-tests were performed between the means of the Learning Methodologies to determine perceived effectiveness. The Kruskal-Wallis non parametric test was run to compare the global mindedness of respondents based on the learning methodologies participants had been exposed to.The results indicate that expatriate managers perceive International Assignments to be the most effective methodology to cultivate a global mindset. International Travel and Working in International Teams were also highly rated by the survey respondents as methodologies to cultivate a global mindset. All of these methodologies are founded on Experiential and Social Learning Theories. An exposure to a combination of methodologies was not found to provide statistically significant evidence that this leads to higher levels of global mindedness. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This dissertation investigates what are the teaching methods that most stimulate learners’ autonomy and the pleasure to read. Questionnaires for undergraduate students and interviews with professors were used to gather data. Furthermore, a combination of different teaching methods was tested at an experimental workshop on Brazilian literature, in order to verify what initiatives can effectively help to stimulate learners’ autonomy and increase their motivation.

Over the years, organizations have seen fit to adopt the use of agile systems development methodologies (ASDMs) because of the benefits that they offer, such as flexibility and the ability to deliver products faster, in constantly changing environments. When ASDMs are used in projects, they are made to fit or be suitable for a project‟s unique aspects, such as its size, requirements, scope and outcomes. This is known as the contingent use of ASDMs. Little is known about the contingent use of ASDMs in South African organizations. It is not known whether it is happening, its procedure and its success. It is important to know this because quality and control need to be maintained in systems produced. There is always a danger that the benefits of using a system development methodology (SDM) would be lost if ASDMs are highly adapted. This led to an investigation of three organizations in South Africa that use contingent ASDMs. With the help of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and documents, data was collected that was analysed, using the tool ATLAS.ti, and the analysis methods content and cross-case analysis. It was found that some South African organizations in the telecommunications, consulting, technological, outsourcing and agricultural sectors use ASDMs in combination with the still popular waterfall SDM. Compatibility between the SDM and the project is a factor in some organizations. Scrum was cited to be the ASDM that was used in some of the organizations interviewed due to its maturity. They make ASDMs contingent by using aspects in the methods, such as Scrum, that are useful for their unique projects. These aspects are in some cases combined with other SDMs to form hybrid methodologies. Some organizations use criteria, such as project needs, outcomes, size and complexity to make ASDMs contingent. Some organizations have measures and facilities in place to manage, monitor, control and document the process used to make ASDMs contingent. They make use of contingent ASDMs as they have experienced more success with them and they will continue to do so. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Over the years, organizations have seen fit to adopt the use of agile systems development methodologies (ASDMs) because of the benefits that they offer, such as flexibility and the ability to deliver products faster, in constantly changing environments. When ASDMs are used in projects, they are made to fit or be suitable for a project‟s unique aspects, such as its size, requirements, scope and outcomes. This is known as the contingent use of ASDMs. Little is known about the contingent use of ASDMs in South African organizations. It is not known whether it is happening, its procedure and its success. It is important to know this because quality and control need to be maintained in systems produced. There is always a danger that the benefits of using a system development methodology (SDM) would be lost if ASDMs are highly adapted. This led to an investigation of three organizations in South Africa that use contingent ASDMs. With the help of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and documents, data was collected that was analysed, using the tool ATLAS.ti, and the analysis methods content and cross-case analysis. It was found that some South African organizations in the telecommunications, consulting, technological, outsourcing and agricultural sectors use ASDMs in combination with the still popular waterfall SDM. Compatibility between the SDM and the project is a factor in some organizations. Scrum was cited to be the ASDM that was used in some of the organizations interviewed due to its maturity. They make ASDMs contingent by using aspects in the methods, such as Scrum, that are useful for their unique projects. These aspects are in some cases combined with other SDMs to form hybrid methodologies. Some organizations use criteria, such as project needs, outcomes, size and complexity to make ASDMs contingent. Some organizations have measures and facilities in place to manage, monitor, control and document the process used to make ASDMs contingent. They make use of contingent ASDMs as they have experienced more success with them and they will continue to do so. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jason S. Bergtold / Timothy J. Dalton / Adoption of technological improvements are crucial to increase agricultural productiviy to help reduce poverty by obtaining higher farm incomes due to higher productivity and lower production costs. However, the introduction of new agricultural technologies has not always been successful or had diffuse adoption. Factors that determine farmers’ adoption decisions are: 1) farm and farmers' characteristics; 2) technology attributes, and 3) the farming objective. Understanding these factors and how they affect adoption of new technologies on the farm is crucial to assure higher levels of adoption. The over all purpose of this thesis is to explore the adoption process of new technologies and practices by farmers. This is accomplished through three essays to meet the objectives of the thesis. The purpose of the first essay was to evaluate whether or not farmers in the western U.S. are willing to grow specialized oilseed crops that could be used for certified hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel production and incorporate them into existing wheat-based production systems under contract. Results indicate that providing oilseeds crops and contracts with desired attributes and features would positively affect farmers' decisions to incorporate oilseed crops into their rotation system. Preferred seed and contract attributes that may affect a farmer’ adoption decision differ across different geographic regions of the U.S. The second essay focused on identifying factors that impact participation and farmers' decision to adopt soil conservation and fertilization management practices for cassava producers in Thailand and Vietnam. Results indicate that asset ownership and cassava yield positively influence participation. Adoption of new practices was positively linked to farmers’ participation in training activities, use of fish ponds (as a measure of alternative agricultural practices), presence of a nearby starch factory, and slope of the land. Finally, the purpose of the third essay was to examine extension educators' characteristics that affect educators' selection decision of outreach methods in the U.S. This essay examines the diffusion process that impacts adoption of best management practices by farmers. The decision extension educators make for selecting a teaching method is affected by the relationship between the objectives of the learning process and the characteristics of the teaching method.

Programs are not only a tool for the simplification or automation of everyday tasks; they also represent a significant time and money investment. A program's life may span years, or even decades, which creates certain risks for the stakeholders involved. To mitigate the risks associated with these legacy systems, software renovation can be undertaken. Software renovation can be described as a series of processes and/or tools used to modernize a legacy system, thereby preserving and maintaining the investment it represents while decreasing the risks associated with it. In this thesis, the focus is on renovation of software created by in-house development. A series of case studies will be examined to demonstrate basic renovation strategies, including the formation of goals for a renovation and exploring trade-offs between robustness, performance, and usability.

A significant number of Liberian ex-militants are unemployed and underemployed despite the job skills, formal education, and entrepreneurial training they received as participants in the Formal Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program that was established to reintegrate combatants into civilian society at the end of the two civil wars in Liberia in 2003. The purpose of this study was to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the vocational training offered by the DDR program. Informed by the theories of Human Capital, Peace Building, and Bronfrenbrenner, the research questions for this study assessed the benefits of the educational component of DDR. A phenomenological study design was employed with a purposeful sample of ex-militant participants that included 12 ex-militants and a focus group of 6-ex-militants drawn from the 12 who completed vocational training at the Monrovia Vocational Training Center in Monrovia (MVTC). All data were inductively coded and analyzed using a constant comparative method. Data analysis uncovered five textural themes: motivation for disarmament, hope to rebuild lives through vocational training, dissatisfaction with reintegration, perception of reintegration, and perception of future combat participation. Findings support human capital, peace building, and ecological systems theories in that ex-militants perceived the benefit of education in their transition to peacetime endeavor, but consider themselves only partially reintegrated since all consider themselves unemployed with no means to survive economically. This study is significant because it provides recommendations to policymakers on how such a program can improve the vocational training offered and provide follow-up life-skills counseling.

Some small business owners are unaware of the possible long-term benefits of engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR). A business undertaking CSR can benefit from long-term financial benefits. Hotel businesses can benefit from developing long-term relationship with visitors and higher occupancy rates. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the potential influence of family-owned hotel owners' attitudes towards CSR and star ratings on hotel occupancy rates. The study's population comprised owners of family-owned hotels within Yanqing Zhen, Yanqing County, in Beijing, China. Bowen's formulation of CSR constituted the theoretical framework. Independent variables were hotels owners' attitudes towards CSR and the star ratings of their properties; the dependent variable was hotel occupancy rate. Data were collected using a web-based, Likert-scale survey, which was administered to 583 hotel owners and then analyzed using multiple linear regression modeling. Owners' attitudes towards CSR and their hotels' star ratings were positively related. Each independent variable also significantly predicted occupancy rates p = .000 for owner attitudes and p = .016 for star ratings. The coefficient for interaction influence between star rating and owners' attitudes was not statistically significant (p =.641). With better understanding of the potential benefits from addressing CSR, small hotel owners could increase hotel occupancy rates and improve their image and reputation as well as their employees' engagement, resulting in potential positive social change. Local governments can also develop more informative CSR-related guidelines and policies that benefit local Chinese communities.

Natural disasters expose the fact that poverty, race, gender, and other indicators of social disadvantage are linked to the population of citizens who struggle the most to recover after a disaster, yet these factors are not accounted for in public policy that guides decision making related to federal assistance to residents affected by a disaster. This study used neural networks as a research strategy to determine whether the current policies under the Stafford Act related to assistance comply with Congressional intent and law that uses a formula for assistance distribution, and whether human factors such as culture, measured as residing in a non-white zip code according to Census tract data, are considered in decision making regarding assistance. Data from FEMA related to the recovery from Hurricane Irene in 2011 were used as the basis for the model. The neural network analysis of this study indicated that federal assistance decisions after the Hurricane Irene event tended to focus on the adjusted property value and actual dollar value of losses as the determining factor in decisions. Focusing on the actual dollar value of losses is consistent with the formulaic approach codified in public law, but this approach overshadows important human factors such as living in a primarily non-white zip code and the availability of temporary housing. This study underscores the notion that the public policy works the way it is intended, but it fails to accommodate human and social factors. As a consequence, the existing policy is legally equitable, but it is not necessarily morally fair to those impacted by disasters. The positive social change implications of this study include recommendations to federal policy makers to more equitably structure recovery efforts in alignment with the human environment of communities rather than a primary focus on cost and value of real property.

Although there is an increasing amount of research concerning body satisfaction among heterosexual White men, few of these studies have adequately represented heterosexual Black men. This was a quantitative survey study aimed to illuminate gaps in the literature regarding Black men's body satisfaction experiences. The study used surveys and tested research questions to determine whether college-aged heterosexual Black (n = 220, 55%) and White (n = 180, 45%) men differed in their body satisfaction experiences and whether race significantly moderated the relation between sociocultural influences and body satisfaction in the two groups. This study was based on the social comparison theory, and examined sociocultural influences (i.e., media images, parents, peers, internalization of cultural appearance standards, and drives for muscularity) known to be associated with body satisfaction. Results from t test analyses indicated that Black men were significantly more satisfied with their appearance and weight, were significantly more confident that other people liked their appearance, and reported less social pressures to have an attractive body in comparison to their White peers. A series of moderated regression analyses failed to indicate that race moderated the relation between the sociocultural influences and body satisfaction. Seventy-five percent of both groups were dissatisfied with their bodies and desired to be more muscular. Social change implications include alerting clinicians that Black men, like White men, should be screened for problems with body satisfaction: Results may stimulate research to determine why Black men have greater overall body satisfaction than White men, and lead to culturally-specific guidelines for identifying and treating body dissatisfaction.