The purpose of this research is to investigate whether or not adult education acts as an agent for social change in Lesotho, especially in communities of the urban and rural poor. The importance and value of adult education as an agent for social change are highlighted. The study has employed a descriptive approach with case studies, involving samples from chiefs, the Ministry of Education and three prominent institutions: the Lesotho Distance Teaching Centre, the Lesotho Association ofNon-Formal Education and the Institute of Extra Mural Studies. The samples of these constituencies totalled one hundred and forty-three. The study has used interviews, questionnaires and observations for collection of data. The researcher observed and judged the natural environment under which facilitation education occurred. Occurrences of all instances under observation were recorded and analysed. The study revealed that even though there is no government policy regarding adult education in Lesotho, the role played by adult education is important as an agent for social change. Adult education has proven its importance and value as a means of providing solutions to pressing issues and problems of the disadvantaged groups. Adult education has a wide range of achievements through which social change is visible and measurable. On the other hand, there is an equally strong opposing side that argues that adult education, as a provision of education in general, does not bring social change in Lesotho; instead, it perpetuates social inequalities that exist. Adult education, according to practices which conform to consensus and conflict paradigm principles, is used as an instrument to promote and strengthen the status quo of social inequalities in Lesotho. However, the researcher believes, through the findings of this study, that educating the urban and rural poor is a reasonable move because these groups constitute a large number of the human resource in Lesotho. With this human resource, if well developed, it is hoped that all other resources can be mobilised for the good of the nation. Lastly, the researcher believes that follow-up studies are needed in order to assess impact of adult education in Lesotho and recommends further research concerning adult education programmes and other pressing issues that are not included in this study. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Dans l'économie mondiale actuelle l'innovation est largement reconnue comme l'un des processus clés qui peuvent permettre le développement d'organisations. Cette thèse concentre l'attention sur le comportement innovateur des employés (IWB) et ses liens avec la perception de la gestion des ressources humaines (HRM). Plus précisément, les modèles de recherche explorent deux pratiques de HRM correspondant à l'apprentissage individuel et collectif et la participation à la prise de décision (PDM). Le choix de mettre l'accent sur deux pratiques est en lien avec les efforts des chercheurs dédiés à la perspective contingente. Par conséquent, l'expérimentation de plusieurs variables médiatrices a permis une meilleure compréhension de la relation entre les processus examinés. Cette thèse est également orientée à comprendre les facteurs psychosociaux mentionnés dans un contexte organisationnel assez inexplorés correspondant aux petites et moyennes entreprises. La première recherche explore la relation entre la perception des pratiques de HRM de l'apprentissage individuel et collectif, l'IWB et le rôle médiateur des normes et le climat propice à l'innovation. La seconde étude suppose que la perception de la pratique décisionnelle, conjointement avec le leadership participatif, est liée à l'IWB ; la relation indirecte est testée à travers le rôle de médiateur du climat psychologique pour l'innovation et le soutien de ses collègues. Ces résultats aident les chercheurs à diriger de nouveaux efforts dans la recherche sur le HRM. En plus, ils soutiennent l'optimisation des ressources investies dans l'innovation à travers la promotion de l'apprentissage et la PDM. / In the globalized economies the innovation is widely recognized as one of the key processes that can allow the development of organizations. This thesis focuses the attention on the Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) and its links with the perception of Human Resources Management (HRM). More specifically, the research models explore two HRM practices corresponding to individual and team learning and the participation to decision-making (PDM). The choice to emphasize only two practices is in line with scholars’ efforts dedicated to contingent perspective. Therefore, the experimentation of multiple mediating variables has allowed the better understanding of the relationship among the examined processes. This thesis is also oriented to understand the mentioned psychosocial factors in a quite unexplored organizational contexts corresponding to the small and medium enterprises. The first research explores the relationship among the perception of individual and team learning HRM practices, IWB and the mediating role of norms and supportive climate for innovation. The second study assumes that the perception of decision-making practice, conjointly with participative leadership, is related to IWB; moreover also the indirect relationship is tested through the mediating role of psychological climate for innovation and co-workers’ support. These findings help scholars to direct new endeavors in HRM research. Moreover they support managers to optimize resources invested in innovation through the promotion of learning and PDM.

Syftet med denna studie var att bidra med fördjupad förståelse för vilka friskfaktorer som är avgörande för långtidsfriskhet ur ett medarbetarperspektiv. Detta genom att studera vad medarbetare inom sociala sektorn i Borlänge kommun upplever bidrar till välbefinnande och friskhet på arbetsplatsen. Vidare ämnade denna studie ge förslag på hur arbetet med friskfaktorer inom Borlänge kommun kan utvecklas. För att på bästa sätt kunna besvara syftet valdes en kvalitativ metod där tillvägagångssättet för insamling av empiri var semistrukturerade intervjuer med långtidsfriska medarbetare från verksamhetsområdet personlig assistans.  Resultatet visar att begreppen stödjande ledarskap, god kommunikation, delaktighet i beslutsfattande, balans mellan arbetsliv och privatliv samt ett positivt arbetsklimat är faktorer som tenderar att ge positiva effekter för hälsa då de finns på arbetsplatsen. Ytterligare faktorer som kunde identifieras var trygghet till följd av lång erfarenhet samt arbetsmoral kopplat till lojalitet. Erfarenheten beskrivs som ett hjälpmedel att hantera olika situationer som kan tänkas uppstå i arbetssituationen samt som stressreducerande eftersom det skapar en tydlighet kring vilka förväntningar som finns i arbetet och mellan kollegorna. Hög arbetsmoral till följd av lojalitet verkar bottna i en vilja att bidra till en medmänniskas nytta genom att vara en viktig resurs i dennes liv.   Denna studie visar betydelsen av ett stödjande ledarskap för förtroendet och tilliten dels mellan chef och medarbetare, dels medarbetare emellan, vilket i förlängningen även påverkar möjligheten till delaktighet samt tryggheten i den egna arbetssituationen. Slutligen visar studiens resultat att friskfaktorer under vissa omständigheter kan bidra med nya möjligheter till främjande arbetsmiljöarbete. / The purpose of this study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of factors that are crucial for long-term well-being and health from an employee perspective. This by studying what employees in the social sector in Borlänge municipality experience contributes to well-being and health in the workplace. Furthermore, this study intended to give suggestions on how the work with health factors in Borlänge municipality can be developed. To best answer the purpose, a qualitative method was chosen in which the approach for collecting empirical data was semi-structured interviews with long-term healthy employees from the area of personal assistance. The results showed that factors such as supportive leadership, participation, autonomy, positive work climate and work-life balance were common in the respondents work situation, which are factors that has shown to have a positive effect on employees' health. Furthermore, the respondents' long-term well-being and health could also be explained by additional health factors that were identified in their work environment. The respondents described that security due to long work experience and work ethic linked to loyalty were factors that contributed to their well-being. The experience is described as a means of handling various situations that may arise in the work situation as well as stress reducing as it creates a clarity about what expectations are in the work and between colleagues. High work ethic due to loyalty seems to be rooted in a desire to contribute to the benefit of another human by being an important resource in his or her life. All in all, the results show that the foundation for successful environment work with health factors requires security and trust partly between the manager and employees and partly between the employees. Finally, the study's results show that, in certain circumstances, health factors may contribute to new opportunities for promoting work environment work.

Le droit à l’information environnementale du public en matière de risques industriels, par le recours aux différentes modalités d’exercice, y compris les supports de communications électroniques, paraît, de prime abord, comme étant « fonction de plusieurs variables ». Cette équation juridique consiste en effet en la mise en question de l’exercice d’un droit au regard de son objet et de ses modalités. L’hypothèse d’une évolution du droit à l’information environnementale nécessite d’analyser, au travers d’une réflexion théorique et juridique centrée sur la création et l’application du droit, l’évolution de ses droits consubstantiels, à savoir le droit d’accès à l’information du public et le droit de la participation du public au processus décisionnel. Le caractère évolutif du droit à l’information environnementale du public est appréhendé en considérant notamment les fonctions opératoires du juge dans l’exercice des droits d’accès à l’information du public et de la participation du public au processus décisionnel, et de la pluralité des modalités d’exercice de ceux-ci. La présence de certains décalages dans l’application de ces droits démontre l’évolution de l’adaptabilité du droit à l’information environnementale à son objet et à ses modalités d’exercice plutôt qu’une évolution propre à ce droit. / At first glance, the public right to environmental information on industrial hazards, by using different modes of exercise, including electronic communications, seems to be a “function of several variables”. In fact, this legal equation consists of challenging the exercise of a right with regard to its object as well as its terms. The hypothesis of evolution of the right to environmental information requires that one examines, through a theoretical and legal reflection centered on the creation and application of law, the evolution of its components, namely the right of access to information and the right to public participation in decision making. The evolving nature of the public right to environmental information is understood in particular by considering the operating functions of the judge in exercising the right of access to public information, the public participation in decision making, and the plurality of their modes of exercise. The presence of discrepancies in the application of these rights demonstrates the evolution of the adaptability of the right to environmental information with regard to its purpose and application rather than the evolution of the right itself.

The aim of this study was to examine how social work can be organized to promote individual`s right to participate in decisions that affect them, in the context of a current social policy state. The selection of participants was goal-oriented and based on individuals who are members of TOP Clubhouse in New York City. They are currently negatively affected by the newly issued social policy directives. Through six qualitative semi-structured interviews based upon research questions, I sought answers to how the clubhouse equips its members to take an active role against the new directives and what role in advocacy work the members considered themselves to have compared to staff. The results of the study show that the clubhouse model strength-based, relational and equal approach has a positive impact on individuals' right and willingness to participate in decisions that affect them. The results show that the clubhouse model promotes empowerment on both individual and political levels. Further the results illustrate that clubhouse members who experience high levels of individual empowerment tend to take a more active role in activist work at a political level. Furthermore, the results show that the relational base of the clubhouse contributes to a collective sense of empowerment at the political level, based on togetherness and solidarity, the clubhouse members organize themselves against the social policy directives. The staff take on two roles in the activist work, first a motivational and insight-creating role where staff contribute with motivation for the clubhouse members to organize against decisions that affect them negatively. The second role is “cause advocacy work”, where the study's results demonstrate how staff remove, through their power, structural obstacles in order for clubhouse members to have their voices heard in decisions that affect them. In conclusion, the study shows how a strengths-based practice can equip both individuals and groups with empowerment at an individual and political level, and how social work in this way promotes individuals' rights to participate in decisions that affect them. / Syftet med denna studie var, att ur en aktuell socialpolitisk kontext, undersöka hur socialt arbete kan organiseras för att främja individers rätt till deltagande i beslut som rör dem. Urvalet har varit målstyrt och vänt sig till individer som är medlemmar på TOP Clubhouse i New York City, och som just nu påverkas negativt av nytillkomna socialpolitiska krav. Genom frågeställningar sökte jag svar på hur klubbhuset utrustar sina medlemmar till att inta en aktiv roll emot de nytillkomna kraven samt vilken roll medlemmarna ansåg sig besitta jämfört med personalen i det aktivistiska arbetet. Studien bygger på sex stycken kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer där resultat visar att klubbhusmodellens styrkebaserade, relationella och jämlika modell har en positiv inverkan på individers rätt och vilja till att delta i beslut som rör dem. Resultatet visar att klubbhuset bidragit till skapandet av empowerment både på individ och politisk nivå. Klubbhusmedlemmar som upplever hög grad av individuell empowerment tenderar till att inta en mer aktiv roll i det aktivistiska arbetet, och förmår att organisera sig på politisk nivå. Vidare visar resultatet att klubbhusets relationella bas bidrar till ett kollektivt skapande av empowerment på politisk nivå, grundad på samhörighet och solidaritet organiserar sig klubbhusmedlemmarna emot de socialpolitiska direktiven. Personalens intar två roller i det aktivistiska arbetet, en motivations- och insiktsskapande roll där personalen bidrar till att klubbhusmedlemmarna vill organisera sig emot förändringar som påverka dem negativt. Den andra rollen berör ställföreträdarskap där studiens resultat visar hur personalen undanröjer strukturella hinder för att klubbhusmedlemmarna på olika vis ska få sina röster hörda i beslut som rör dem. Sammanfattningsvis visar studien hur en styrkebaserad praktik kan utrusta både individer och grupper med empowerment på individ- och politisk nivå, och hur de genom det kan få sin rätt till deltagande i beslut som rör dem beaktad.

Le concept de développement durable fut promu à la Conférence de Rio de 1992avec l’adoption d’un certain nombre d’instruments juridiques. Le droit africain s’estprobablement adapté aux règles et aux principes inhérents au concept avec, commeconséquence, la refonte ou la révision des codes ou lois de protection del’environnement. Face aux problèmes environnementaux récurrents, à la difficilegestion intégrée des ressources en eau, à l’opérationnalisation critique de la solidaritéà l’eau potable pour tous, à la gouvernance environnementale défaillante, la questionde l’évolution efficiente du droit de l’environnement africain au regard du conceptde développement durable se pose. Il se révèle un insuccès de la saisie du conceptpar le droit africain. Au final, un nouveau modèle de droit de l’environnement, auprofit des pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, s’avère nécessaire. / The concept of sustainable development was promoted in the Rio Conference in1992 with the adoption of a number of legal instruments. African law has probablyadapted to the rules and principles inherent to the concept with, as a consequence,consolidation or revision of codes and laws to protect the environment. Facingrecurrent environmental problems, the difficult Integrated water resources, criticaloperationalization of solidarity drinking water for all, the failed environmentalgovernance, the question of the efficient development of the law of the Africanenvironment in relation to the concept of sustainable development arises. It proves afailure in the seizure of the concept by the African law. Finally, a new model ofenvironmental law in favor of the countries of West Africa is necessary.