M. Tech. Architecture (Professional) / This dissertation presents the proposal of a museum to map sensory experiences in central Pretoria where a sensory anthropology can be observed. This research project focuses on a sensory experience which provides a place of reflection and relief within the city and explores how the phenomenology of architecture can be preserved. The envisaged site is the existing ruin of the Capitol Theatre which is located on the immediate south western periphery of Church Square.

M. Tech. Architecture (Professional) / The proposal attempts the design of a permaculture hub and community support centre within the Sokhulumi rural area, situated next to the R25, between Bronkhorstspruit and Groblersdal, Mpumalanga. The aim is to investigate a proposed model for a sustainable rural settlement, based on the principles of permaculture. This project proposes an exploratory model that could replace the current unsustainable livelihoods in rural areas, with a more holistic approach, which would possibly create a sustainable rural settlement. This proposal aims to include social, economic and environmentally sustainable solutions.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Architecture (Applied Design)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2012. / The aim of this thesis is to design an adaptive reuse, collaborative creative centre and public art gallery that is governed by a cultural institute, and financed by a corporate collaboration between the Johannesburg Development Agency and the Blue IQ. The design is intended to act as a catalyst to the city of Johannesburg and the Newtown cultural precinct, by injecting life and spirit back into the area, offering Newtown an opportunity to be in a constant state of activity and vibrancy, living up to its goal to be the cultural district of Johannesburg.

The purpose of this thesis was to explore what challenges are identified in project portfolio management (PPM) in an internal multi-project environment. The aim of this study was to find the underlying reason for the occurrence of challenges in terms of how these challenges occur, and why do they occur. To realize the purpose and the aim of the study, the research was conducted at ABB Components, a business unit of ABB Group. Further, based on identified challenges provide a set of guidelines and recommendations for managing and countering the challenges. To understand the research problem a literature review was employed and a case study was conducted at ABB Components. The purpose of the literature review was to gain a theoretical background related to the research topic, identify challenges or problems, and potential solutions, with the purpose of establishing a connection to the challenges identified in the case study. The empirical work consisted of the case study conducted at ABB Components and was constituted by interviews person. The analysis of the results was validated with a workshop held with interviewees, with discussions regarding the findings. Guidelines and recommendations for managing challenges related to project portfolio management were designed from the results of empirical and theoretical work. The 11 main challenges related to project portfolio management were identified throughout three defined project phases, initiation of a project, execution of a project and project closure, and was appearing either in one phase or across phases. The challenges in this research were correlated to four main causes; limited resources (budget & time), limited resources (personnel), vague directives, and project maturity. The identified challenges can be encountered and managed by utilizing existing models for project management, improved information handling, expanding the notion of criteria for project success, performing a resource capacity analysis, and planning for the project closure. The theoretical and practical work have contributed to a collective analysis of what types of challenges are evident in phases throughout a single project, and what outcomes these challenges can have on a project portfolio in an internal multi-project environment and . It has to some extent indicated differences among challenges and causes evident in multi-project settings, for projects that are classified as internal development or product development, implicating differences throughout the project phase. Furthermore the challenges have pivoted around the three main themes centered indicating that there are challenges related to each phase of the project life, as well as challenges which are apparent across the project phases.

Information integration is considered a source of competitive advantage in the capital projects industry. While it has been broadly implemented, many organizations appear to have achieved only limited benefits from their efforts. This dissertation investigates the complementarity relationship between information technology (IT) use and project execution processes and practices. It asserts that rather than directly improving an organization’s competitive advantage, IT serves instead as a mode to improve existing processes and practices which in turn serve to improve the bottom line. Building from this foundation, the dissertation proceeds to expand its findings to document mechanisms by which various resources influence the complementarity relationship. Topics within this dissertation are investigated with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Using capital projects data, evidence of complementarity is established quantitatively between general use of IT and best practices. The benefits of complementarity in terms of cost, schedule, and rework project performance measures are documented. Data analyses show that more use of IT is associated with more use of best practice; and, projects that intensively implement IT and best practice tend to show superior project performance. Furthermore, by investigating the use of a specific technology, this dissertation presents a thorough statistical analysis showing that IT use affects the use of practices, which together support improved project performance. Next, this dissertation lists organization resources that may affect complementarity. Using sixteen actual information integration cases, the major resources consistently affecting complementarity are identified. Illustrations of seven case studies present how the resources are managed. The case studies are also used when discussing the interaction of IT use and processes generating complementarity. The primary contribution of this research is to provide a quantitative evidence of IT’s indirect impact on construction project performance via practices. A broad discussion citing the range of resources affecting the complementarity and identifying the major ones in the capital projects industry is another contribution of this research. / text

Performance goals for a highway system are an indication of the desired system condition, and the level of service to be provided to its users. Setting the appropriate performance goals has a significant impact on the way highway agencies conduct business. With growing needs and limited resources, the consequences of setting different levels of performance goals should be examined and compared to optimize the highway infrastructure needs at the network level. Three interacting sets of costs are typically considered for a complete economic appraisal of highway projects: construction, maintenance and road use costs. Due to the shift in focus from design-and-build mode to the repair-and-maintain mode, this study focuses on maintenance related costs and the road user cost aspects only. Maintenance and rehabilitation activities on pavement infrastructure are ongoing processes that are required for the entire road network. This suggests that for long planning horizons and geographically extensive networks, their application usually results in significant financial needs. Typically, highway agencies have based their policy decisions such as the target condition levels for the system on the budget needs for maintenance and rehabilitation actions. Since in most cases, the funding needs exceed the available budget, the required preventive and routine maintenance activities suffer or are overlooked completely. Failure to timely apply these maintenance actions cause the pavements to deteriorate more rapidly into condition states that require for more expensive rehabilitation actions during the life cycle of the pavement. Over time, a vicious cycle is instigated in which the maintenance and rehabilitation needs of the network keep increasing each year. Although most highway administrators acknowledge the fact that pavement preservation is perhaps the most effective way of using the limited budgets available, the costs associated with deferring maintenance actions is oftentimes overlooked when establishing performance goals for the system. Road user costs in the form of costs for vehicle operation have been recognized as another large component of the total transportation related costs. These costs are then arguably the most important to consider for a complete economic appraisal. Ironically, they are also often disregarded while making important policy decisions. Other road user costs such as those related to the impact of traffic congestion and detours caused by construction and maintenance activities are difficult to quantify and were not accounted for in this study. Although it is widely accepted that establishing suitable performance goal is critical for system maintenance and preservation, a framework that considers the inter-relationship between conflicting objectives of minimum maintenance and rehabilitation costs, deferred maintenance costs, and vehicle operating costs to the users does not exist. This thesis proposes a methodological framework that is aimed at assisting highway agencies with the problem of objectively analyzing policy decisions in terms of the performance goals for their highway networks that would minimize the total transport costs to the society. In a case study of the proposed framework, the highway network managed by the Texas Department of Transportation was examined for different performance goals. The results from the case study indicate that setting lower performance goals lead to savings in the M&R needs, but at the same time, they also significantly increase the exogenous costs such as deferred maintenance costs and the vehicle operating costs. / text

Bakgrund: Vad skulle du säga om din chef en dag sa till dig att du skulle vara med i ett projekt? Skulle du tycka att det var roligt och se det som något positivt? Eller skulle du tvärtom inte alls vara intresserad av att var med? Projekt har under de senaste 20 åren varit en organisationsform som ökat i popularitet. Ett brett spektrum av företag använder projekt för att åstadkomma förändringar i sin organisation. Förändring kan dock stöta på hinder, eller misslyckas, om de som ska vara med och förändra inte är motiverade, det blir därför viktigt för företag att förstå vad som motiverar projektovana medarbetare som för första gången går från sitt vanliga arbete till ett projekt. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vad som motiverar projektovana medarbetare, när det gäller att delta, och medverka, i projekt. Vi vill även skapa förståelse för vilka delar, dels i övergången från linje till projekt, men även under projektets gång, som är viktiga att hantera ur motivationssynpunkt. Genomförande: Studien har genomförts som en fallstudie baserad på kvalitativa intervjuer. Författarna har genomfört totalt 12 intervjuer med projektovana medarbetare från Toyota Material Handling Europe. Slutsatser och resultat: Det har i vår studie visat sig att förväntningar spelar en stor roll i huruvida en projektovan medarbetare är motiverad i både övergång till och arbete i projekt. De projektovana medarbetarna skapar innan projektet drar igång förväntningar på vad projektet ska innebära för dem själva, främst gällande personlig utveckling men även vad det gäller karriärsutveckling. Dessa initiala förväntningar följer sedan medarbetaren genom projektet och de som var motiverade in i, behåller även motivation i hög utsträckning genom hela projektet. Det har också visat sig att personer med ett stort behov att utvecklas trivts bättre i och har varit mer motiverade av projektet som arbetsform än den linjeorganisation de kommit ifrån. Bristen på kunskap om att arbeta i projekt har dock inneburit att förväntningarna inte varit särskilt välgrundade och många överraskades över arbetsbelastningen i projektet. Företag måste hantera dessa förväntningar och vara tydliga i informationen om projektet och vad projektet kommer att innebära för individen. / Background: What would you say if your boss one day told you that you were going to be part of a project? Projects have for the last 20 years become increasingly popular. Many different companies are using projects as a way to promote and drive change in their respective organization. Change however is not always easy and companies may face resistance even from their own workers who are not motivated or committed to change. Thus it has become important to know what motivates employees with low project familiarity that join a project for the first time. Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to examine what motivates project members with low project familiarity when it comes to joining and participating in projects. We also want to understand what parts of the transition from line to project as well as during the project that it is important to handle from a motivation standpoint. Completion: The study has been done as a single-case study based on qualitative interviews. The authors have interviewed 12 project members with low project familiarity all working at Toyota Material Handling Europe. Results: Our study has shown that expectations play a big role in whether a project member with low project familiarity is motivated both in transition to, as well as work in, a project. Project members with low project familiarity create their expectations before the project has started. These expectations include primarily what the project will mean for them in terms of learning and personal development, but also in terms of career advancement. These initial expectations follow the project member through the entire project. It has also become evident that people with a strong growth needs have found the way of work in the project to be very rewarding compared to their former workplace. The lack of knowledge on projects has meant that these expectations have not been based in reality and many project members have been surprised by the work load in the project. Companies must address these expectations and inform the prospective project members of what the project will mean for them.

A1302 Introduction: Peru is a country that is undergoing a process of democratic transformation. Local and international development agencies are established in Peru in order to support this process. In the last decade, there has been an encouragement for these agencies to use strategic management in their project work. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is an objective-oriented approach that has become widely employed for the planning, implementation and evaluation of development projects. The so called “vertical logic” of the LFA, rests on the assumption that project stakeholders can predetermine and agree on how certain activities will lead to the accomplishment of a hierarchy of formally stated goals. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the applicability of the vertical logic of LFA on development projects in Peru. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework of this paper is based on theories and arguments raised for and against Management By Objectives (MBO) from which the LFA originates. In addition, the special features of the development sector are discussed in regard to this rational goal approach. Method: This paper has been carried out as a Minor Field Study (MFS) in Peru where representatives of local as well as international development agencies have been interviewed. Empirical findings and Analysis: This paper highlights the special characteristics of development work in Peru. Projects are typically large with abstract, complex goals and multiple stakeholders. In addition, they are carried out in an environment typified by significant instability and change. These characteristics potentially make some of the features inherent in the vertical logic of LFA, such as strict planning and goal congruency, unrealistic. This potentially limits its usefulness as a strategic management tool.

Darbo tikslas – įvertinti KMUK padalinių vadovų nuomonę apie telemediciną bei jos taikymo galimybes Lietuvoje. Tyrimo metodika: KMUK vadovaujamą darbą dirbančių gydytojų (klinikų, skyrių, sektorių vadovų) anoniminė anketinė apklausa vyko 2008 metų sausio –vasario mėnesiais. Anketos buvo išdalintos visiems 128 respondentams. Statistinėje analizėje naudota 101 teisingai užpildyta anketa. Atsako dažnis 78,9 proc.. Rezultatai. Geriausiai su telemedicinos taikymo galimybėmis susipažinę klinikų vadovai. Respondentų nuomone, radiologija, oftalmologija ir kardiologija – sritys, kuriose telemedicina galėtų būti plėtojama labiausiai. 23,8 proc. respondentų telemedicinos plėtros galimybes KMUK įvertintos palankiai. Galimybės plėtoti telemediciną Lietuvos mastu buvo vertinamos atsargiau: dauguma (39,6 proc.) apklaustųjų manė, jog kol kas tam nėra pakankamų galimybių. Svarbiausi veiksniai, skatinantys sėkmingą telemedicinos diegimą Lietuvoje: gydytojų specialistų noras ir pastangos dirbti novatoriškai, telemedicinos metodų ir priemonių kūrimas bei taikymas praktikoje, teisinės bazės, susijusios su šia sritimi, tobulinimas. Pagrindinės kliūtys, trukdančios sėkmingai plėtoti telemedicinos paslaugas - kompiuterinio raštingumo stoka vyresnio amžiaus respondentų tarpe, nepakankami užsienio kalbų įgūdžiai, darbo aplinkoje esančios nepalankios techninės galimybės naudoti telemediciną bei informacijos apie informacines bei telekomunikacines technologijas bendrai ir informacijos apie... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the aim. To evaluate the opinion of the heads of the departments of Kaunas University Hospital on telemedicine and the possibilities of its application in Lithuania. Methods. Anonymous survey of the heads of the departments of Kaunas University Hospital was carried out in January and February, 2008. 128 heads of the department were distributed. 101 questionnaires were filled in correctly and were used for a statistical data analysis. The frequency response 78.9%. Results. The heads of different clinics of Kaunas University Hospital knew the possibilities of using telemedicine. The primary fields of medicine where the potential use of telemedicine could be developed include radiology, ophthalmology and cardiology. 23.8% of respondents thought that there were enough options to develop telemedicine in Kaunas University Hospital, whereas the options to develop it in Lithuania were assessed moderately. Many respondents (39.6 %) thought that there was not enough potential to do that. The most important factors in developing telemedicine in Lithuania were: wishes and efforts of doctors to work in a different way, the establishment and use of telemedicine’s methods and devices in practice and the improvement of telemedicine law. The main barriers to the development of telemedicine in Lithuania are: insufficient computer and foreign languages skills, inadequate technologies and the lack of knowledge about information and telecommunications technologies and the shortage of... [to full text]

Žemės konsolidacijos metu vyksta kompleksinis visos teritorijos pertvarkymas, atsižvelgiant į vietovės ypatumus, kaimo bendruomenės, žemės savininkų ekonominius interesus ir aplinkosaugos rekomendacijas. Šiuo metu teritorija, kurioje galėtų būti rengiami konsolidacijos projektai, yra daugiau nei 2500 tūkst. ha privačios žemės ūkio paskirties žemės, kuri priklauso apie 300 tūkst. žemės savininkų. 2000 – 2003 metais Lietuvoje vyko keturi bandomieji žemės konsolidacijos projektai, kurie leido įvertinti esamą padėtį Lietuvoje – išryškino šalies specifiką bei teisės aktų trūkumus. Šie bandomieji žemės konsolidacijos projektai buvo atlikti remiantis užsienio ekspertų patirtimi, kurie stengėsi savo šalių patirtį pritaikyti Lietuvos sąlygomis. Darbe išanalizuoti bandomųjų ir šiuo metu atliktų žemės konsolidacijos projektų rezultatai ir išryškinti jų privalumus bei trūkumus. Bandomuosiuose projektuose dalyvavo tik 28% žemės savininkų, iš galėjusių dalyvauti. Kaimo plėtros priemonės įgyvendintos tik dalinai Pabaisko ir Puskelnių projektų teritorijose, nors savininkai visuose projektuose pageidavo tokių plano sprendinių. Viena iš pagrindinių priežasčių, kodėl nebuvo įgyvendintos subalansuotos kaimo plėtros priemonės – atskiras finansavimas tik žemės konsolidacijos projektams. 2007 – 2008 metais Lietuvoje buvo įgyvendinta 14 žemės konsolidacijos projektų Telšių, Tauragės, Marijampolės ir Panevėžio apskrityse. Šie projektai skyrėsi ir savo dydžiu (nuo 133 iki 670 ha), ir pasiektais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Land consolidation is a complex territory rearrangement taken into account local peculiarities, rural community and land owners economical and environmental recommendations. Today the area for available land consolidation projects is more than 2500 thousands ha of private agricultural land, which includes more than 300 thousands owners. Four pilot land consolidation projects were accomplished during 2000 – 2003. These projects estimated situation in Lithuania, showed specific features of country and required legal base for land consolidation. The article analyses the results of pilot projects. Only 28% of land owners took participation in pilot land consolidation projects. Means of rural development were implemented partly only in Pabaiskas and Puskelniai projects, although owners asked for these means in all projects. One of the main reasons for this is separate financing for land consolidation projects and rural development measures. 14 land consolidation projects were implemented during 2007 – 2008 in Telšių, Tauragės, Marijampolės and Panevėžio counties. These projects varied by size (from 133 to 670 ha) and results. First land consolidation projects were implemented in counties, where farm size is greater than average in Lithuania and dominate 10 – 50 ha farms. Accomplished regression analysis shows, that there is a strong relations between project area and implementation costs. Larger projects are more efficient and less costly. The costs of project implementation... [to full text]