Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / The purpose of the study was to identify material benefits that households participating in poverty alleviation projects receive. The study used both the qualitative and quantitative research design in the context of a random sample of 70 non-project households and 42 households participating in projects. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. The major findings of this research study are that poverty alleviation projects are effective in alleviating poverty especially amongst rural women. The significance of the study lies in insights on improved methods in the management of poverty alleviation projects

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The purpose of this study was to evaluate post-settlement support given to beneficiaries of land restitution on selected farms in Mpumalanga Province. The study used qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data collection was done using focus group discussions and semi-structured questionnaires. Three groups of respondents participated in the study: the beneficiaries (n=193), government officials (n=13) and private sector [NGOs] (n=5). The study highlighted the inadequacy of support provided to beneficiaries. Support was inadequate in terms of infrastructure, provision of training services and improving access to markets. The findings revealed that there is poor participation by the youth and educated people in the projects. The study also found that strategic partners did not significantly contribute towards viability of projects, primarily, because of conflicting interests between the two. The study recommends that the government, with the private sector, should make enough resources available and attract the youth and educated people to participate in the projects.

Thesis (M.DEV.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study aims to provide insights into the nature and extent of development funding provided to various poverty eradication projects by the National Development Agency (NDA) and its subsequent impact on reducing poverty in the predominantly rural communities of the Makhuduthamaga Municipality in the Limpopo Province. It examines in detail the impact made by the NDA on community development through the disbursement of funds to poverty eradication projects. It also provides insights into the total number of the NDA-funded projects and the total proportion of the NDA-funds allocated to them in the Makhuduthamaga Municipality. The study further examines the nature of the NDA support regarding the design of the interventions, relevance, participation of communities, delivery modalities and sustainability. The effectiveness of the NDA-funded projects in community development is determined using employment opportunities created, income generated, skills transferred, assets accumulated, sustainability mechanisms and community empowerment indicators. Although all of these indicators are found to be tightly linked to the NDA’s mandate of poverty eradication, the extent to which the NDA has achieved its objectives in disbursing development funding earmarked for poverty eradication and strengthening of CSOs was yet to be determined, hence the relevance of this study. The study, therefore, highlights key issues regarding the types of employment opportunities created and levels of income emanating from the NDA-funded projects. The study further highlights various areas of community empowerment, financial and sustainability measures put in place for the sustainability of the NDA-funded projects. Using a combined method of research, that is the qualitative and quantitative case study approach, the study highlights in detail insights into the impact made by the NDA on community development, particularly on Makhuduthamaga Municipality. The study highlights that while the NDA made some strides in the creation of employment opportunities, income generation, food security and community empowerment, both financial and institutional sustainability proved to be a daunting challenge for the NDA-funded projects Tailor-made and accredited training interventions coupled with the introduction of market-driven products to the NDA-funded projects as opposed to heavy reliance on donor funding will go a long way in bringing about productivity and, most probably, positive balance sheets and the maximum impact on the NDA funded projects.

El presente documento tiene como finalidad proponer un modelo de gestión de interesados externos que mejore la dinámica que se maneja actualmente en las áreas de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa de las empresas del sector minero peruano, en particular, en la región Pasco. Se realizó una evaluación y diagnóstico acerca de la situación de los proyectos en dicha región. Para ello, se recopiló información de las principales fuentes del Estado, quienes llevan registro de la evolución del sector. Se analizaron los conflictos que conllevaron la creciente exploración minera y su impacto en los aspectos económico, social y medioambiental del país. De la misma forma, se realizó un análisis de las herramientas y buenas prácticas idóneas para la gestión de interesados externos para proyectos mineros en la región Pasco. El nuevo modelo de gestión de interesados externos contribuirá al logro del desarrollo sostenible a partir de la creación de un área de gestión de interesados externos que brinde los lineamientos necesarios para el registro de interesados, comunicación y flujo adecuado de información relevante del proyecto. Se ha estimado que la implementación de esta área se traducirá en un ahorro económico y de recursos, y preservará una buena relación con los interesados externos del proyecto, así como la imagen y reputación de la empresa. / The purpose of this document is to propose a management model for external stakeholders that will improve the dynamics currently being handled in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility of companies in the Peruvian mining sector, particularly in the Pasco region. An evaluation and diagnosis was made about the situation of the mining projects in that region. For that purpose, information was gathered from the main sources of the State, who keep track of the industry's evolution. The conflicts that led to the growing mining exploration and its impact on the economic, social and environmental aspects of the country were analyzed. In the same way, an analysis was conducted about the tools and good practices for the management of external stakeholders for mining projects in the Pasco region. The new management model of external stakeholders will contribute to the achievement of sustainable development through the creation of a management area for external stakeholders that provides the necessary guidelines for the registration of interested parties, communication and adequate flow of relevant project information. It has been estimated that the implementation of this area will result in economic and resource savings, and will preserve a good relationship with the external stakeholders of the project, as well as the image and reputation of the company. / Trabajo de investigación

No description available.

Bibliography: leaves 126-131.

This thesis is grounded in the introduction of participatory research, development and extension (RDE) to Australian agriculture. The emphasis on participatory processes emerged as the Transfer-of-Technology (ToT) model is no longer considered adequate to deal with complex farming systems and their diverse stakeholders (Packham 2003). However, RDE agencies are introducing participatory processes with a limited understanding of how they may work in Australia's developed agriculture sector (Vanclay 1994). Consequently, the initiation of three participatory Farming Systems RDE projects in Australia's northern grains region provides opportunity to explore and understand participatory approaches and their impact on participants. Three related themes are developed by exploring the nature of participants' diversity across these projects, the characteristics of participation in each project and the subsequent learning of participants: (i) that increased participation implicitly increases diversity in the conduct of RDE; (ii) that participatory RDE provides opportunities to integrate stakeholders' diverse experience and knowledge; and (iii) that participants' learning can improve current farming systems. Participatory action research was used to understand how participatory RDE should be enacted, and to involve project participants to help them also understand and improve their project processes and goals. The research utilised a range of qualitative and quantitative procedures including: participant and nonparticipant observation at project meetings and activities with farmers; focus groups and semi-structured interviews with project teams, their managers, and participating farmers; a team learning survey of team members; and custom-made questionnaires to quantify participants' perceptions of the projects, their processes, and impacts on learning and behaviour. These interventions identified participants' demographic, organisational and informational diversity. They also identified and elaborated their diverse aims, expectations and passions for participatory RDE, revealed individuals' preferred RDE methodologies and suggested their underlying worldviews. Indeed, ToT paradigms and positivist worldviews remained entrenched in most project staff and their managers. The teams consequently used participation to help farmers better understand technical issues, not build interdependent projects with integrated RDE processes. Farmers generally appreciated their increased participation and influence in RDE activities. While their initial consultative and functional participation did not extend to process decisions or project strategy, farmers valued the opportunity to work with the projects and influence the issues addressed. The projects consequently improved farming practices and management of issues that have long-eluded traditional RDE. For example, the widespread use of: (i) zero tillage and controlled traffic systems to control soil erosion; (ii) nitrogen fertilisers to match crop requirements; (iii) ley pastures to address soil fertility in grain and grazing systems; and (iv) new crops to diversifying grain systems away from monocultures. The projects provided farmers with opportunities for increased participation and learning over time. Functional participation developed in on-farm research that addressed issues identified with farmers, and action learning workshops provided proximal opportunities for farmers to understand existing information and use their own farm data in real decisions. In this way, the behaviourist learning of the ToT approach was supplemented by guided learning to integrate new meaning schemes with farmers' experiential knowledge. Some on-farm research and action learning activities extended to reflecting on their processes, and involved farmers in deciding the most appropriate RDE methodology and methods for subsequent activities. This opportunity to reflect on the values and assumptions of different approaches was critical in developing interactive participation and higher level learning for participants. Nevertheless, the initial participation in each project team failed to meet some team members' expectations. The expected task and process conflicts emerged, but small activity groups with shared values and RDE paradigms developed within each team. Team members' process conflict about the 'best' RDE methodologies for specific issues then developed into worldview conflicts about the relevance and rigour of these methodologies. Some smaller groups subsequently worked independently, with damaging relationship conflict developing from unresolved process issues between some individuals. Team members communicated, but their participation remained largely passive and consultative. Factors that shaped participation were identified, and a framework to support opportunities for stakeholders to plan, manage and evaluate RDE was developed. These helped increase participation in the projects. Participation within the projects' constituent activities subsequently fluxed from isolation to interactive participation. Individuals within activities now expected, and usually had, equality in content decisions (i.e. functional participation), which often extended to process decisions (i.e. interactive participation). Yet, the levels of participation between members of different activities varied across the projects. One project remained a series of parallel and relatively independent activities with passive and consultative participation. A second project had functional and interactive participation imposed for some activities, but otherwise used passive and consultative participation. The third project developed to provide functional and interactive participation in major project decisions. It then became apparent that the learning outcomes of each project varied. Individuals continued to learn from their participation in the projects, but the contributions of diverse sources and participation were major shapers of this learning. Participation within the less diverse activity groups produced mainly technical learning through participants' existing meaning schemes. Again, the level of participation between activities with diverse values, RDE paradigms, and worldviews, shaped the nature of learning. Passive and consultative participation produced mostly technical learning through existing meaning schemes. Yet, teams that embraced their diversity, and reflected on the assumptions of their different RDE methodologies, transformed their approach to learning. With high levels of diversity, the level of participation determined the level of learning. Essentially, participation became learning. This thesis confirms the potential of participatory RDE to improve farming practices. Consultation to identify priority issues, and functional participation to develop proximal opportunities for farmers to understand these issues and make their own decisions had a major impact on farming practices. Yet, participatory processes must rise above the prevailing ToT paradigms of RDE agencies to integrate participants' knowledge, and so achieve sustainable development in Australia. Three main process contributions are made to support this development. Firstly, the evaluation framework provides a challenge and structure to encourage the contributions of all participants at each stage of project activities. It provides a checklist for effective participation in Farming Systems RDE. Secondly, a typology of participation in Farming Systems RDE extends that proposed by Pretty (1995). It provides a catalyst and means to better understand and identify the most appropriate levels of participation in RDE projects. The associated checklist for assessing modes of participation allows monitoring of the participation developed in practice. Finally, the re-conceptualisation of a broader continuum of participation in Farming Systems RDE for developed agriculture is proposed. The subsequent development of the Doing successful on-farm research process is a culmination of the understandings developed in this thesis. It facilitates the development of interactive participation within the on-farm research process that is central to these projects. Recognising the technical focus of most current RDE agency staff, it guides their development of participatory on-farm research processes before reflecting on the appropriateness of different research methods to their research issues. The findings here cannot ensure the development of Australia's RDE beyond the ToT paradigm. However, this thesis provides important insights into the nature of diversity, participation, and learning in the Farming Systems projects, and a series of tools to support this development. Conceptually, it proposes that different kinds of participation will be shaped by participants' diversity from their prior experiences and their expectations that are in turn transformed through evidence of improved practice.

Construction is one of the most information-dependent industries compared to other sectors. Computers have been used to improve the efficiency of management in most businesses including the construction industry. Treating information efficiently is the key to maintaining an edge over competitors and for success in business. However, in order to succeed, companies must choose a management system that is most suited to their operations. The difficulty about computerization in civil engineering is that the construction industry does not have trained IT experts with Civil engineering or Management background. Although there are many computer applications for project management, almost all the applications required some form of manual modification for updating information. In a construction project, time and accurate information is vitally important in order to accomplish scheduled completion. A small change in plan costs money and time in both the traditional methods as well as current IT applications. The main reason is that there is no direct link between the head office and the regional site office and there is no “quick” link between site office and site engineers who are out in the field for most of the time. This study proposes the design of an information transfer system to improve construction site management. A Web-based Construction Site Management system called “WCSM” will be developed. WCSM incorporates some major features including: Integration of Web technology and mobile computing into construction site management and automatic project schedule updates. The performance of WCSM is evaluated through virtual simulations, and comparisons with other relevant applications are reported. These evaluations showed that WCSM required significantly less time, for initial project set up and modifications during project implementation, when compared to MS Project and Micro Planner.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Bonn, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [427]-467) and index.

<p>The popularity of social media have increased over the last years, appearing under variousbrands with millions of members worldwide. This thesis exemplifies how the features in twoof the most popular social media of today, Facebook and Twitter, can enable individuals touse these forums as tools for presentation and promotion of their identities.</p><p>The empirical material was gathered through qualitative interviews with 13 users of socialmedia, illustrating how individuals actively strive to use these forums to create positiveassociations around their persons.</p><p>What is perceived as beneficial communication varies with individuals different socialcontexts, learned through socialization mechanisms similar to those in real life. Social mediacommunication allows individuals to highlight preferable parts of their personality whileminimising negative to a higher extent than what sometimes is possible in the physicalreality, thus increasing the possibilities to communicate a desired self. The insights providedin this thesis can contribute to the understanding of social media as a phenomenon, as wellas increasing the knowledge around individuals purposes and user preferences as consumersof these media.The popularity of social media have increased over the last years, appearing under variousbrands with millions of members worldwide. This thesis exemplifies how the features in twoof the most popular social media of today, Facebook and Twitter, can enable individuals touse these forums as tools for presentation and promotion of their identities.The empirical material was gathered through qualitative interviews with 13 users of socialmedia, illustrating how individuals actively strive to use these forums to create positiveassociations around their persons.What is perceived as beneficial communication varies with individuals different socialcontexts, learned through socialization mechanisms similar to those in real life. Social mediacommunication allows individuals to highlight preferable parts of their personality whileminimising negative to a higher extent than what sometimes is possible in the physicalreality, thus increasing the possibilities to communicate a desired self. The insights providedin this thesis can contribute to the understanding of social media as a phenomenon, as wellas increasing the knowledge around individuals purposes and user preferences as consumersof these media.</p>