Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2005 / The purpose of this study was to explore women’s involvement in poverty alleviation projects and to examine the benefits that are derived from such projects. The Phutuma Development Project and Gottenburg Women’s Group are the projects which were studied. The methods used to conduct this study involved collecting data through questionnaires and interviews. The various stakeholders, project members as well as government officials from the departments of Health and Social Development were interviewed. This study is significant in that it can help the government in its efforts to assist the poor live a decent life, and to provide better services to communities. This study uncovers the kind of challenges that government departments and communities face when setting up poverty alleviation projects. The study recommends how this should be done to achieve optimum results.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / This research project unfolds within the Shigalo wa Muhunguti Communal Property Association farms at Tshitungulu, (Levubu) area, under Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province, with the purposes to evaluating the sustainability of that Land Restituted farming project. This is a case study research project where both the qualitative and the quantitative research strategies were used. Data was collected through structured and semi-structured interviews. The analysis reveals that while the Land Reform programme has managed to restore land rights to the legitimate owners, the sustainability and continued productivity of such properties in the hands of the new owners remains a cause for major concern. The findings reveal among other things the low literacy level, lack of farming skills, low interest and passion for farming, and high level of dissatisfaction of employees. Poor marketing of produce is also a cause for great concern. Recommendations to address the above findings suggest that the Department of Agriculture should implement massive training programmes on beneficiaries, young farmers should be exposed to modern production system, regular meetings with employees could reduce their dissatisfaction, while the executive members could undergo vigorous training to get marketing skills to negotiate the sale of their produce.

Thesis (MBA.) --University of Limpopo, 2008 / Land reform is divided into three sub-programmes, which are redistribution programmes, restitution and tenure reform. The redistribution programme consists of Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development settlement and non-agricultural enterprises. Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme was established to redress the imbalances of land owners aroused from the previous government and its policies. A person who qualifies to purchase farms through the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme is a previously disadvantaged person, that is, an African, Coloured and Indian. If a person belongs to a previously disadvantaged group and that particular person works for the government he/she does not qualify to be funded by the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme. The National Department of Agriculture introduced a new programme called the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme. The primary aim of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme is to make provision for agricultural support to targeted beneficiaries of the land reform and agrarian reform programme. This dissertation proposed an investigation of the success factors of Comprehensive agricultural Support programme on the farms allocated under the Land redistribution for Agricultural Development in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province. The objectives of study were: i. To determine factors influencing the success of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme projects on farms allocated under the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development farms ii. To suggest recommendations for the improvement of the implementation of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme. iv A case study approach was used to investigate the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme funded projects. Personal interview questions were posed to participants who were the farmers who receiving the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme grant and managers who were managing the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development farms. Open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data and four farms allocated under Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development funded by the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme and four municipal managers in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province were interviewed. The qualitative approach was used to process the data The chapter layouts of this research are as follows: Chapter 1: Problem Statement, Aims and Objectives of the Study, Chapter 2: Literature Survey, Chapter 3: Research Design, Chapter 4: Analysis of Data and Interpretation, and Chapter 5: Recommendations and Conclusion. The analysis of the data revealed that Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme is a success on the farms allocated under the Land redistribution for Agricultural Development in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2012

Thesis (M. Dev.)-- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study was an attempt to evaluate the results of the revitalization of the smallholder irrigation schemes programme which was introduced by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture. The focus area was the Krokodilheuwel Irrigation Scheme in Makhuduthamaga Municipality which falls under the jurisdiction of Sekhukhune District. The nature of the study was qualitative and was conducted on farmers and technical staff as respondents within the irrigation scheme. The research findings indicated that the majority of the farmers noted some improvements, especially on the management of irrigation schemes by farmers, provision of technical support from staff of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and in terms of the frequency of training provided to smallholder irrigation schemes. On the other hand, a problem was also observed on the side of management of income and expenditure which was not transparent and inclusive. Farmers were not involved in the management of income and expenditure, but only the strategic partner. Farmers were only told that they did not make any profit as the produce failed to cover for the expenditure incurred for that season. Farmers suggested that the Limpopo Department of Agriculture should be represented on the management of the irrigation scheme to monitor the running of the scheme. The researcher also recommended that the Limpopo Department of Agriculture should put up measures to monitor and evaluate the activities within the irrigation scheme to ensure that the revitalization programme is implemented according to the plans so that intended goals are realized.

Theory of change papers and projects are used by various marriage and family therapy (MFT) training programs throughout the United States and Canada. Little is known about how these projects differ and are similar from program to program. The purpose of this study was to obtain a better knowledge and understanding about these projects. Questionnaires regarding the use of theory of change projects were sent to all accredited and candidacy MFT programs throughout the United States and Canada. An exploratory, descriptive design was used to guide the research, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. The research was done in an attempt to answer the three research questions: (a) what percentage of MFT programs are using theory of change projects?, (b) what are the processes used in preparing and presenting the projects?, and (c) what is the content required in these projects? The research revealed that 27 (59%) programs that responded used theory of change projects. Among the data from these programs, nine themes emerged in the processes used to prepare and present the projects. Furthermore, there were four unique aspects to processes in preparing and presenting the projects. With regards to content required in the projects, there were six themes found which consisted of 23 categories. The six themes were theory/models, change, the therapy process, client issues, therapist issues, and contextual issues. After reviewing the literature it is believed that theory of change projects may be useful in the training of marriage and family therapists. It has been learned through this study that many program directors are using some components in their projects that may be useful to other directors as they form or refine their own theory of change projects. In forming a theory of change project, it appears important to have students conceptualize both the change process and the treatment process and to integrate theory with practice. It is hoped that findings from this study will be useful to both those MFT program directors and faculty that do not require a theory of change project, but desire to develop one, and those that already have a project, but are trying to improve it. The findings from this study will help programs gather ideas from each other in an attempt to make MFT training more useful throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In response to the World Commission on Environment and Development’s Brundtland Report (1987) and other documents that have brought the need to address environmental, economic, and social issues to the forefront of the awareness of the public, the Sustainable SITES Initiative was modeled after LEED certification and was formed to establish a rating system and comprehensive framework of guidelines for development. It is a collaborative effort between the ASLA, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden. In June 2015, the Green Building Certification, Inc. of the United States Green Building Council acquired SITES and will oversee future certifications. SITES was formed to address the need for a coordinated response between all landscape design professionals, and to work in addition to and synergistically with LEED certification. This study investigates the new sustainability rating system while exploring the professional marketplace and the design processes of three landscape architecture firms. The purpose of this study is to answer the question, “How do the design processes differ between SITES certified and noncertified urban open space projects in the Puget Sound area?”. There are currently 47 landscape projects across the United States that have been certified by the SITES pilot program rating system. This is an exploratory study that examines the processes of three landscape architecture firms, with two projects within each firm: one sustainably certified through SITES, one is not certified, for a total of six case studies. By analyzing and documenting the presence and nature of patterns, similarities and differences, this study aims to strengthen the objective of SITES certification for the purpose of recognition and to validate existing sustainable landscape architectural practices. This study pinpoints the components of sustainable landscape architectural and highlights landscape architecture’s commitment to sustainable development. Landscape architecture has a rich history of incorporating sustainable practices into their work. With this new rating system, landscape projects can gain recognition for sustainable practice through marketing projects as SITES certified, as the LEED certification program exemplifies. This study can also inform future collaborations with LEED certifications. SITES currently works synergistically with LEED certification on several components, but increased collaboration will be mutually beneficial. The SITES certification process is very involved and time-consuming, and with valuable feedback from Landscape Architects, expedited certification can be possible.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to describe how to improve an organization’s desorptive capacity to facilitate knowledge transfer in transfer projects. Method - This research was conducted as a single case study, with an abductive approach, were the unit of analysis has been transfer projects. The empirical data collection has been qualitative and was conducted through 20 semi-structured interviews. The interviews were held at the case company with project managers, sub-project managers and project members to widen the experience of everyone involved in transfer projects. A thematic analysis was utilized to possess the empirical data. Result - We found that it is essential to evaluate critical factors in the identification of a transfer project and utilize managerial tools to facilitate the application of the knowledge transferred to the recipient. We have created a framework that show the correlations between the evaluation of the critical factors and the utilization of the managerial tools, categorized in organizational practices. Depending on the evaluation of the critical factors, resources need to be allocated to specific organizational practices. This will result in an improvement of an organization’s desorptive capacity. Theoretical contribution - This report contributes to the literature by filling the gap regarding how to improve organizations’ desorptive capacity to facilitate knowledge transfer in transfer projects. We have identified the critical aspects of desorptive capacity andcontributed with a framework that can be adapted by organizationsto improve their desorptive capacity. Managerial implications - The findings in this study have potential to increase the awareness among organizations about the initial phase of transfer projects and contribute to an increased understanding of how an organization can improve their desorptive capacity. It is recommended to utilize the presented framework in this report to take advantages of the correlations found between the critical factors and the organizational practices.

Projects are important to society, and yet they often fail. This is despite the application of widely accepted project management standards, training, and processes. In this context, there is growing awareness that projects are often highly complex and therefore cannot be managed effectively solely by using process-based project management techniques. An alternative approach is now emerging, and that is recognising and dealing with the dynamic complexity, feedback and uncertainty inherent in most large projects today. When a project does fail, it follows that there has also been a failure in the management of risks to the project. Given this, it is possible to obtain insight into failures in complex projects by investigating how risk is managed. During this research, the management of internally generated risks in projects was of particular interest. These are the risks that projects create for themselves by the way they are set up or operate. If it is established that such risks are common, important and not well managed, it could provide valuable insight into why projects fail. Nine complex projects were investigated to identify, document and analyse internally generated risks to their success. Using data gathered from workshops and confidential interviews, five hypotheses were tested to understand the role played by internally generated risks in projects. A key part of the research method was the use of risk maps, an adapted form of cause-and-effect diagrams, as the basis for the dialogue necessary to create a shared understanding of each risk. Statistically significant results were obtained to support the conclusion that internally generated risks are common in complex projects, have the potential to significantly impact upon project success, and yet are generally poorly managed. It was also concluded that internally generated risks are important as a class of project risk, with potentially large impacts upon the success or otherwise of complex projects. Given this, further research to better understand how such risks arise and how they can be recognised and managed is appropriate.

This thesis investigates project risk management issues in smaller software teams. Certain gaps in the literature are identified. There is limited literature on what risk management techniques software practitioners use. The studies that are published tend to focus on large software teams. This thesis investigates what risks these smaller teams consider to be important. It also investigates what techniques are perceived to address these risks and how effective those techniques are considered to be. One of those risks is found to be of primary importance, yet this risk is not suggested by the project management literature. This thesis goes on to conduct a more in-depth exploration of that specific risk in the context of these smaller teams Interviews were selected as the most appropriate method to achieve the objectives of the thesis. Nineteen interviews in eight software organisations are conducted to collect data for this thesis. Three different perspectives on project risk were investigated. Those were the perspectives of the; service managers, project managers and developers. Hence a large store of rich information is collated. The results are analysed and a rich set of information is presented in this thesis. As a result of this research it is suggested that smaller software teams may find it useful to consider the 16 risks discussed in this research and how applicable those risks are to their individual organisation. Service managers may need to do more to raise the awareness of the importance of risks associated with ‘customer relationship issues’ within their own organisations. Three risks stood out as areas where future research might be most fruitful. They were; customer relationship issues, introduction of new technology and unrealistic schedules and budgets. Risks related to customer relationship issues were of particular significance and have tended to be over looked in the project management literature. It is submitted that research into standard project risk management approaches may need to be combined with business risk management approaches to gain a full understanding of the risks faced and addressed by these smaller teams.