Esta dissertação tem como objetivo criar uma ferramenta mais abrangente de avaliação do desempenho ambiental da mineração a céu aberto, para posteriormente avaliar o desempenho ambiental desta atividade econômica, uma vez que os critérios de avaliação de impactos na mineração atuais não consideram o impacto ambiental causado por atividades de lavra a céu aberto na paisagem. Para mensurar o impacto na paisagem causado pela mineração foram utilizados dados de sensoriamento remoto do sensor TM do satélite Landsat 5 e técnicas de geoprocessamento. Posteriormente, as cenas foram submetidas ao script de análise de fragmentação da paisagem V-LATE 2.0 beta para o ArcMAP™ 10.1. Após os impactos ambientais terem sido mensurados e agregados em um índice, torna-se possível uma quantificação do desempenho ambiental da atividade de mineração. Como aplicação do novo índice criado, foi feito um estudo comparativo entre a mina N5W e a cultura da soja no município de Sorriso, MT. Tal estudo permitiu concluir que a atividade da mineração a céu aberto, se realizada com as devidas medidas mitigatórias, apresenta desempenho ambiental comparável a outras atividades econômicas de mesmo porte produtivo. / This dissertation aims to create a more comprehensive tool for assessing environmental performance of open pit mines to assess the environmental performance, since the criteria for assessment of impacts on current mining do not consider the environmental impact of open-pit mining activities in the landscape. To measure the impact on the landscape caused by mining techniques were used remote sensing data from Landsat 5 TM sensor and geoprocessing techniques. Then the scenes were analyzed by V-LATE 2.0 beta script for ArcMAP™ 10.1 software. After the environmental impacts have been measured and aggregated into an index, it is possible to quantify the environmental performance of mining activities. As an application of the new index created, a comparative study between N5W mine and soybean in the municipality of Sorriso, MT was done. This study concluded that the open pit mining whether performed with appropriate mitigation measures, has environmental performance similar to other economic activities with the same production scale.

Este é um estudo no campo teórico da Gestão de Operações Internacionais - IOM (International Operations Management), visto que a globalização dos negócios enseja e justifica pesquisas na gestão de seus sistemas produtivos crescentemente globalizados. Interesse especial recai sobre a teoria das Redes Internacionais de Manufatura - IMN (International Manufacturing Network). Uma IMN é um sistema coordenado de fábricas interdependentes, dispersas pelo mundo, interno a empresas multinacionais e sob controle direto de seus gestores. Seus elementos organizacionais são a Configuração, composta da dispersão geográfica e do papel estratégico de cada fábrica; e a Coordenação, composta da governança e dos processos operacionais da IMN. Uma das lacunas de pesquisa em IMNs trata do constructo \"avaliação de desempenho\". Apesar de ela ser um processo de feedback que é central à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico de IMNs, pouco tem sido investigado sobre suas características, propósitos e efeitos. Isto é, as pesquisas têm investigado apenas o desempenho (resultado) em si, e não como ele é apurado e avaliado. Ademais, IMNs evoluem, na sua missão e características organizacionais, para cumprir estratégias que são dinâmicas por natureza. Logo, supõe-se que mecanismos de coordenação, como a avaliação de desempenho, por alinhamento interno, devam evoluir junto. A maior contribuição e deliverable desta tese foi propor um modelo que descreva e explique como avaliar o desempenho de IMNs. Baseado nos campos de IOM e Desempenho Organizacional, sua montagem combinou os elementos organizacionais de IMNs com as condições necessárias e suficientes à existência da avaliação de desempenho em uma organização. Desse modo, o modelo do processo de avaliação de desempenho de IMNs buscou incluir e lidar com complexos aspectos das organizações, que advêm tanto da sua busca por soluções gerenciais transnacionais quanto das suas condições competitivas. O modelo do processo foi então verificado empiricamente quanto a sua congruência e utilidade. Dada a prevalência de análises contextuais, o método de pesquisa escolhido foi o estudo de caso. O trabalho de campo ocorreu em três multinacionais brasileiras, escolhidas para maior riqueza de dados, entre outros critérios, por terem diferentes tipos de IMN e serem de diferentes indústrias. Os dados, tanto qualitativos quanto quantitativos, foram coletados por levantamento documental e entrevistas em cada empresa-caso, sendo então analisados longitudinal e transversalmente. Como resultado, as evidências sugerem que o modelo do processo aqui proposto é uma ferramenta congruente e útil para descrever e explicar como ocorre a avaliação de desempenho de uma IMN. Ademais, a avaliação de desempenho parece ser mais importante e estruturada em multinacionais cuja IMN tem coordenação de viés global (gerenciamento centralizado) bem como a estratégia de manufatura tende a produção \"enraizada\" (interna), trazendo assim mais contribuição à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico da IMN. O modelo do processo e os descriptive insights gerados nesta tese ensejam pesquisas futuras tais como um survey amplo para levantar como as multinacionais de diversos setores e países têm avaliado o desempenho de suas IMNs, ou uma pesquisa-ação que prescreva a implantação de completa avaliação de desempenho, alinhada a um tipo particular de IMN. Para a prática, os resultados podem encorajar gestores a revisar e incrementar a avaliação de desempenho de suas IMNs, para tirar maior proveito desse processo gerencial. / The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to propose a performance assessment process model for International Manufacturing Networks (IMN). Despite performance assessment being a feedback process that feeds IMN coordination and strategic management, little research has been done regarding its purposes, features and effects. Based on the fields of International Operations Management and Organisational Performance, the process model development combined the constituent elements of IMNs with the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of performance assessment in an organisation. A multiple case research, in three multinational companies from Brazil, verified empirically the process model\'s fitness and usefulness. Data collected from company reports and interviews with two corporate managers in each case were examined with within-case analyses and then cross-case analysis. Evidence suggests the process model is a valuable tool for describing how IMN performance assessment unfolds. Additionally, IMN performance assessment seems to have higher importance and structure in multinationals whose manufacture tends to be rooted (in-house) and globally coordinated (centralized management), thus contributing more to IMN coordination and strategic management. Future research includes a large sample survey in multinationals from diverse industries and countries, and a workbook-based research action to implement a full-fledged performance assessment, aligned to a specific type of IMN. Furthermore, this study\'s process model and descriptive insights may encourage managers to improve the performance assessment of their and therefore optimize its utilization.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo criar uma ferramenta mais abrangente de avaliação do desempenho ambiental da mineração a céu aberto, para posteriormente avaliar o desempenho ambiental desta atividade econômica, uma vez que os critérios de avaliação de impactos na mineração atuais não consideram o impacto ambiental causado por atividades de lavra a céu aberto na paisagem. Para mensurar o impacto na paisagem causado pela mineração foram utilizados dados de sensoriamento remoto do sensor TM do satélite Landsat 5 e técnicas de geoprocessamento. Posteriormente, as cenas foram submetidas ao script de análise de fragmentação da paisagem V-LATE 2.0 beta para o ArcMAP™ 10.1. Após os impactos ambientais terem sido mensurados e agregados em um índice, torna-se possível uma quantificação do desempenho ambiental da atividade de mineração. Como aplicação do novo índice criado, foi feito um estudo comparativo entre a mina N5W e a cultura da soja no município de Sorriso, MT. Tal estudo permitiu concluir que a atividade da mineração a céu aberto, se realizada com as devidas medidas mitigatórias, apresenta desempenho ambiental comparável a outras atividades econômicas de mesmo porte produtivo. / This dissertation aims to create a more comprehensive tool for assessing environmental performance of open pit mines to assess the environmental performance, since the criteria for assessment of impacts on current mining do not consider the environmental impact of open-pit mining activities in the landscape. To measure the impact on the landscape caused by mining techniques were used remote sensing data from Landsat 5 TM sensor and geoprocessing techniques. Then the scenes were analyzed by V-LATE 2.0 beta script for ArcMAP™ 10.1 software. After the environmental impacts have been measured and aggregated into an index, it is possible to quantify the environmental performance of mining activities. As an application of the new index created, a comparative study between N5W mine and soybean in the municipality of Sorriso, MT was done. This study concluded that the open pit mining whether performed with appropriate mitigation measures, has environmental performance similar to other economic activities with the same production scale.

Assessment, an integral part of teaching and learning, is a planned process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about the performance of students. However, concerns have been raised about how assessment is being conducted in schools and so the aim of this study is to investigate and improve assessment practices used by Grade 12 secondary school Physics teachers in Mozambique, Africa. The study addresses the question of what assessment practices do Grade 12 teachers in Physics in Mozambique apply and how can they be improved? and it adopted a twofold research approach. A Baseline Survey aimed at gaining an overall impression of the assessment practices used by secondary school Physics teachers and an Intervention Study aimed at producing improvements on teacher assessment practices. The preliminary research followed a survey research method, while the intervention applied an educational design research approach. In the survey three questions were investigated: (i) What assessments practices do Grade 12 Physics teachers apply? (ii) What is the quality of the assessment practices? and (iii) How relevant can the assessment practices be for student learning?To address these questions a purposive sample of 12 Physics teachers, four school directors and five educational officers was selected. The survey was conducted in six secondary schools purposefully selected throughout the country and data were collected via interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations and written notes. The Intervention Study was designed to answer the question of how teacher assessment practices can be improved.This phase of the study involved a design, a classroom tryout, and a systematic evaluation of a series of exemplary Physics assessment materials (prototypes) in a context of demonstration experiments. The prototypes were developed for the concepts of force and inertia and their validity and practicality were verified using appraisal by experts, university students, teachers, and students. Classroom tryout was conducted with two teachers and their 62 students in two secondary schools. Baseline Survey findings indicate that the most used assessment practices in schools are paper-and-pencil tests, verbal tests, and homework, while projects, portfolios, and peer assessments are the less frequently used ones. Oral communication during lessons, written work, presentations, notebooks, laboratory work, and ability to solve problems were used as quality criteria for the teachers’ assessment. It was shown that the most frequently assessed student activity was written work, followed by the ability of students to solve problems, while laboratory work was the activity that was never assessed by many of the researched teachers. Another quality criterion used was the type of feedback given by teachers to students, which indicated that teachers were giving expressed (both congratulatory and critical), personal and timely feedback. It emerged that teachers often involve the students in the evaluation of their performance through reflection of assessment results and in addition, encourage students to engage in active learning. Findings from the Intervention Study indicate that (i) teachers liked the presentation and structure of the materials following the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) strategy and regarded their personal commitment as crucial for achieving the desired experimental results; (ii) students also liked most the POE strategy because it allowed them to develop their own explanations of the observed events and highlighted the role of teachers during the tryout as crucial for the success of the experiments. The main conclusion of this study is that assessment practices undertaken by Physics teachers in Mozambican secondary schools are of poor quality and there is a need for improvement. This must be done by developing and applying exemplary assessment materials with the potential to improve performance assessment practices associated with demonstration experiments in Physics. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and Culture and teacher training institutions should promote the training of teachers in developing exemplary assessment materials for their own use in schools. These materials should contain specific guidelines on how to conduct effective assessment practices. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The quality of education in Botswana is not yet up to standard as there has been emphasis on attainment of Universal Basic Education. Quality in education encompasses a number of factors such as the development of the relevant curriculum, improvement of teacher preparation, development of appropriate learning materials, and improving the methods of assessing pupils (Grisay&Mählck, 1991, cited in Kellaghan&Geaney, 2003). The quality of what is going on in the classroom is judged by the processes and outcomes that are defined qualitatively. Assessment in Agriculture in Botswana senior schools comprises performance assessment and standardised paper-and-pencil tests. Performance assessment contributes only 20% (MoE&SD, 2001.p.6) yet it is allocated more time than paper-and-pencil tests. The aim of the study therefore was to understand and explore the characteristics and quality processes needed in the performance assessment of Agriculture Form Four students to ensure valid and reliable examinations in Botswana. The study was guided by two research questions. The first research question was: How valid and reliable are the performance assessment processes in Botswana schools? This research question sought to understand how performance assessment was conducted in Botswana schools, and how it compared with the international practice. The second research question was: How can quality assurance processes be developed in order to produce valid and reliable marks for BGCSE Agriculture performance assessment? The intention was to develop quality processes for performance assessment in the context of Form Four Agriculture in Botswana, to ensure valid and reliable marks for certification. A design research was employed in this study in which a baseline survey was conducted and based on the outcome, a quality assurance process was designed which included the development of standard tasks and assessment materials. During the baseline survey, teachers and school administrators completed a questionnaire and were also interviewed. Subsequently, prototypes of exemplar materials were developed iteratively in collaboration with practitioners and formatively evaluated. Feedback from evaluation was incorporated into the redesign and development of successive prototypes. Findings from baseline survey revealed that the conduct of performance assessment in schools was not standardised, primarily due to the absence of assessment policy and procedures to guide its conduct. Implementation of performance assessment was done by teachers who had insufficient training, in large classes with inadequate resources and received very little support from supervisors both internally and externally. Despite all these, insufficient time was allocated for conducting performance assessment, resulting in teachers forming groups most of the time during the conduct of tasks and assigning a single mark for the group based on the quality of the group’s product. However, findings from the intervention study revealed that entrenching quality assurance processes in the system produced valid and reliable performance assessment marks for certification. The characteristics of a quality assurance system for implementation of performance assessment were the presence of an assessment policy; training and accrediting teachers to assess; an efficient internal and external monitoring system; the provision of adequate resources; applying multiple modes of assessment; and multiple rating of the students. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

The thesis includes theoretical knowledge in matters of performance management issues as one of the promising management approaches. The thesis seeks to capture a comprehensive view of job performance and its relationship to other business processes and systems. In the first part of the thesis there are described the principles of performance management concept, methods and trends in performance management, motivation, planning, performance assessment, remuneration and staff development in relation to job performance. The second part focuses on the analysis of performance management in MobilKom, a.s. The aim of this thesis is to analyze and evaluate the performance management system in MobilKom, a. s. and formulation of proposals for its optimization.

In response to concerns about using only standardized multiple-choice assessments, some school districts have moved to using alternative ratings of student achievement with authentic assessments. However, such assessments are often limited in terms of the psychometric validity data supporting their use. The present study mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the validity, development, and refinement of an authentic rating approach currently in use in middle school mathematics classes from a large suburban school district in the Southwest United States. A sample of teachers (n = 14), rated students (n = 110) using a pilot rubric of 187 items. Analyses resulted in a 32-item rubric with 20 themes and 9 factors. Results from a G-study revealed the facet that best explained variance in student scores was the interaction between raters and assessment units, as well as students and assessment units. As part of the development of the assessment, a content validity exercise revealed 18% of the rubric items as below average quality. Findings highlight the need to enhance contextualization of rubrics, use a strategy of assessment that includes contextualized and decontextualized assessment, and to investigate the role of utilization deficiency in explaining low student scores.

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No description available.

This dissertation illustrates how to detect the rater centrality effect in a simulation study that approximates data collected in large scale performance assessment settings. It addresses three research questions that: (1) which of several centrality-detection indices are most sensitive to the difference between effect raters and non-effect raters; (2) how accurate (and inaccurate), in terms of Type I error rate and statistical power, each centrality-detection index is in flagging effect raters; and (3) how the features of the data collection design (i.e., the independent variables including the level of centrality strength, the double-scoring rate, and the number of raters and ratees) influence the accuracy of rater classifications by these centrality-detection indices. The results reveal that the measure-residual correlation, the expected-residual correlation, and the standardized deviation of assigned scores perform better than the point-measure correlation. The mean-square fit statistics, traditionally viewed as potential indicators of rater centrality, perform poorly in terms of differentiating central raters from normal raters. Along with the rater slope index, the mean-square fit statistics did not appear to be sensitive to the rater centrality effect. All of these indices provided reasonable protection against Type I errors when all responses were double scored, and that higher statistical power was achieved when responses were 100% double scored in comparison to only 10% being double scored. With a consideration on balancing both Type I error and statistical power, I recommend the measure-residual correlation and the expected-residual correlation for detecting the centrality effect. I suggest using the point-measure correlation only when responses are 100% double scored. The four parameters evaluated in the experimental simulations had different impact on the accuracy of rater classification. The results show that improving the classification accuracy for non-effect raters may come at a cost of reducing the classification accuracy for effect raters. Some simple guidelines for the expected impact of classification accuracy when a higher-order interaction exists summarized from the analyses offer a glimpse of the "pros" and "cons" in adjusting the magnitude of the parameters when we evaluate the impact of the four experimental parameters on the outcomes of rater classification. / Ph. D.