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Organizational learning through experience has been found to be associated with enhanced firm performance. Organizational experiments are a method of experiential learning that enable organizations to learn from experience and gain context-specific knowledge of how and why to implement new knowledge. Pilot projects, a type of organizational experiment, involve making intentional, systematic efforts to gather and analyze feedback in order to accurately assess the action-outcome relationships of adopting new knowledge prior to embarking on full-scale implementation. Despite the popularity of pilot projects used to test products, programs, and services as well as reports on the outcomes of such experiments, there is a dearth of research focusing on how organizational learning occurs during organizational experiments, and on the processes and structural mechanisms of organizational experiments that contribute to organizational learning. A qualitative, multiple-case study of eight pilot projects was carried out within nursing units across five acute health care organizations during Fall 2008. Interviews were conducted with 32 individuals, including pilot project leaders, nursing program managers and direct care nurses. An inductive approach to data analysis was applied and themes identified. Results were compared to 14 propositions that were developed based on the knowledge transfer, innovation diffusion, and organizational learning literature, and which were bracketed before data analysis to allow findings to emerge from the data. The findings advance existing organizational learning, innovation diffusion, and knowledge transfer models by illuminating the complexity of organizational learning processes. Several processes and structural mechanisms of organizational experiments were found to facilitate single-loop organizational learning, leading to incremental changes to meet existing goals and objectives. Although double-loop organizational learning, which may result in fundamental changes in an organization’s assumptions, norms, policies, goals and objectives was not observed, the study revealed a number of processes and structural mechanisms that have the potential to encourage this type of learning. Studies of organizational experiments are rare. Future directions for research and theory development are suggested to build on the findings of this study. Practical implications are offered to organizations in any industry interested in realizing the potential that organizational experiments have for double-loop learning and enhanced organizational performance.

Syfte: Att testa den patientenkät som används i utvärdering av en leversjuksköterskemottagning på patienter med dekompenserad levercirros för att undersöka upplevelsen av att besvara frågorna samt frågornas relevans till patientens situation. Metod: Pilotstudiens metod var mixad. Resultat: Spridningen av deltagarnas upplevelse av oro/obehag av enkäten var stor (VAS 6-100 millimeter). Vid få sjukdomssymtom väcktes oro om framtida sjukdomsutveckling men vid längre tids sjukdom kändes samtliga symtom igen, tankar om tidigare beteende uppstod vid alkoholsorsakad sjukdom. En mindre spridning (VAS 66-92 millimeter) sågs gällande hur viktiga/väsentliga frågorna upplevdes. Frågor om bemötande ansågs viktiga och påverkade upplevelsen av rätten till vård. Kompletterande frågor om individuellt anpassad information samt upplevelsen av delaktighet vid information efterfrågades. Deltagarna visade hög uppskattning (VAS 73-95 millimeter) till att sjukdomen/situation uppmärksammades genom enkäten. Besöken till sjuksköterskan skiljde sig från läkarbesök. Sjuksköterskan fokuserade på egenvård och mer tid fanns för information. För en informant innebar försöksverksamheten ökade antal sjukhusbesök, samordning innebar för- och nackdelar. Vid symtom på fatigue och nedsatt koncentrationsförmåga upplevdes enkäten lång, tvådelad enkät efterfrågades. Vid lindrig sjukdom upplevdes enkäten inte ansträngande. Språket var enkelt att förstå och innehållet upplevdes relevant. De öppna frågeställningarna tillförde inte något för de tre informanterna. / Purpose: To test the patient questionnaire used in the evaluation of an intervention with nurse-led clinic for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis to examine the experience of answering the questions as well as their relevance to the patient's situation. Method: The pilot study was conducted with a mixed method. Results: The variation of the participants' experience of anxiety/discomfort of the questionnaire was large (VAS 6-100 millimeters). Individuals with few disease symptoms had concerns about future development of the disease, in the case of long disease experience all the symptoms was familiar. Following alcohol induced disease thoughts of past behavior occurred. A smaller variation (VAS 66-92 millimeters) was seen regarding the experience of how important/essential the questions felt. Questions about treatment were considered important and affected the perception of care. Questions about individualized information was requested as well as the experience of participation in the exchange of information. The participants showed a high appreciation (VAS 73-95 millimeters) that the disease/situation was highlighted by the survey. The visits to the nurse differed from appointments to physicians. The nurse focused on self-care and more time was available for information. For one informant the intervention increased the total number of hospital visits, coordination meant advantages and disadvantages. Symptoms of fatigue and impaired concentration made the questionnaire experienced as too long, a two-parted questionnaire was requested, the size was not strain in mild disease. The language was easy to understand and the content perceived relevant. The open issues brought nothing for the three informants.

Researchers have identified the need to explore the context in which disordered eating is a reasonable response to violence and socio-cultural expectations, and the need for prevention programs that link fat phobia with other forms of oppression (Burstow, 1992; Herman, 1997; Orbach, 1994; Piran, 1999; Sesan, 1994; Steiner-Adair, 1994, Thompson, 1992). To date, the House of Mirrors Community Development Pilot Project (the "HOM") is the only community-based program in Canada that addresses these issues. The HOM is a visual arts installation of twenty-six full-length mirrors onto which women, girls and artists of various cultures, ages, and body types portrayed how violence and fat phobia have impacted their lives. The purpose of this multiple method study was to assess the efficacy of the HOM as a facilitator of working relationships between the health, business, art, and education sectors in Campbell River, B.C. The process was documented in two focus group interviews with five members of the HOM Subcommittee and in a survey of the HOM subcommittee and the Eating Disorder Program Advisory Committee. Evaluating the project's effectiveness distinguished different levels of community involvement as connections, relationships, and partnerships. The evaluation highlights differences between prevention and community development initiatives and the need for an emphasis on partnership building in social work. This knowledge will be used to inform future policy and practice decisions.

Organizational learning through experience has been found to be associated with enhanced firm performance. Organizational experiments are a method of experiential learning that enable organizations to learn from experience and gain context-specific knowledge of how and why to implement new knowledge. Pilot projects, a type of organizational experiment, involve making intentional, systematic efforts to gather and analyze feedback in order to accurately assess the action-outcome relationships of adopting new knowledge prior to embarking on full-scale implementation. Despite the popularity of pilot projects used to test products, programs, and services as well as reports on the outcomes of such experiments, there is a dearth of research focusing on how organizational learning occurs during organizational experiments, and on the processes and structural mechanisms of organizational experiments that contribute to organizational learning. A qualitative, multiple-case study of eight pilot projects was carried out within nursing units across five acute health care organizations during Fall 2008. Interviews were conducted with 32 individuals, including pilot project leaders, nursing program managers and direct care nurses. An inductive approach to data analysis was applied and themes identified. Results were compared to 14 propositions that were developed based on the knowledge transfer, innovation diffusion, and organizational learning literature, and which were bracketed before data analysis to allow findings to emerge from the data. The findings advance existing organizational learning, innovation diffusion, and knowledge transfer models by illuminating the complexity of organizational learning processes. Several processes and structural mechanisms of organizational experiments were found to facilitate single-loop organizational learning, leading to incremental changes to meet existing goals and objectives. Although double-loop organizational learning, which may result in fundamental changes in an organization’s assumptions, norms, policies, goals and objectives was not observed, the study revealed a number of processes and structural mechanisms that have the potential to encourage this type of learning. Studies of organizational experiments are rare. Future directions for research and theory development are suggested to build on the findings of this study. Practical implications are offered to organizations in any industry interested in realizing the potential that organizational experiments have for double-loop learning and enhanced organizational performance.

Researchers have identified the need to explore the context in which disordered eating is a reasonable response to violence and socio-cultural expectations, and the need for prevention programs that link fat phobia with other forms of oppression (Burstow, 1992; Herman, 1997; Orbach, 1994; Piran, 1999; Sesan, 1994; Steiner-Adair, 1994, Thompson, 1992). To date, the House of Mirrors Community Development Pilot Project (the "HOM") is the only community-based program in Canada that addresses these issues. The HOM is a visual arts installation of twenty-six full-length mirrors onto which women, girls and artists of various cultures, ages, and body types portrayed how violence and fat phobia have impacted their lives. The purpose of this multiple method study was to assess the efficacy of the HOM as a facilitator of working relationships between the health, business, art, and education sectors in Campbell River, B.C. The process was documented in two focus group interviews with five members of the HOM Subcommittee and in a survey of the HOM subcommittee and the Eating Disorder Program Advisory Committee. Evaluating the project's effectiveness distinguished different levels of community involvement as connections, relationships, and partnerships. The evaluation highlights differences between prevention and community development initiatives and the need for an emphasis on partnership building in social work. This knowledge will be used to inform future policy and practice decisions. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The Municipality of Quelimane, the fourth biggest city in Mozambique, aims to apply an EcoCity concept in the city. Therefore, the municipality initiated a waste-to-energy project in order to improve the lacking waste management, valorize resources and lessen the burden on the environment. The purpose of the current project was to investigate the potential for implementing a waste-to-energy system in Quelimane. In particular, the technology of anaerobic digestion. This technology had been identified as the best alternative based on local conditions according to a study performed by students at KTH, the municipality of Quelimane and GreenLight about waste-to-energy in Quelimane the spring of 2015. The present project was performed during eight weeks in Mozambique; five weeks in the capital Maputo and three weeks on-site in Quelimane, where the collection of data mainly was made in Quelimane. The gathered information resulted in a model for a small scale anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane. An assessment of the potential for an implementation of an anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane was determined using a feasibility assessment tool. The study was performed using the following methods: literature study, interviews, surveys, on-site observations, modelling and by using a feasibility assessment tool. The analysis performed with the feasibility tool identified the socio-cultural attitude towards the technology and the willingness among the residents to use the end products as key factors for a successful implementation. The attitude towards the technology was determined as mainly positive and the willingness to use the end product high. The strong involvement and initiative from the municipality were also identified as key factors and determined as positive. The environmental, policy and legal and the technological aspects of the system are other identified key factors were mainly identified as positive according to the feasibility assessment tool. However, there is currently no end user for the small scale plant and no established funding for the project. This altogether results in a current marginally high potential for the implementation of a small scale anaerobic digestion plant, with good chances to increase the potential in the future.

Цель работы: улучшение показателей эффективности взыскания с клиента банка просроченной задолженности и уменьшение затрат на процесс взыскания при помощи внедрения сторонней разработки (робота-коллектора) в текущий бизнес-процесс предприятия. Для достижения данной цели работы были определены следующие задачи: изучить теоретические основы моделирования бизнес-процессов (понятия, методологии, нотации); проанализировать рынок программных продуктов для моделирования бизнес-процессов; изучить и описать исследуемый бизнес-процесс предприятия; проанализировать модель AS IS, выявить недостатки, построить модель TO BE; разработать план проекта; провести расчеты экономической эффективности проекта; сделать заключение по проведенной работе. В процессе выполнения данной работы для моделирования бизнес-процессов была использована методология BPMN, а для практической реализации проекта использовались следующие инструменты – MS Visio, MS Project, MS SQL SERVER, QlikView, Access. Результаты выпускной квалификационной работы были использованы в процессе модернизации бизнес-процесса Банка ПАО КБ «УБРиР». / The purpose of the work: to improve the efficiency of collecting overdue debts from the bank's client and reduce the costs of the collection process by introducing a third-party development (a collector robot) into the current business process of the enterprise. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were defined: to study the theoretical foundations of business process modeling (concepts, methodologies, notations); to analyze the market of software products for modeling business processes; to study and describe the business process of the enterprise under study; analyze the AS IS model, identify shortcomings, build a TO BE model; develop a project plan; calculate the economic efficiency of the project; make a conclusion on the work carried out. In the course of this work, BPMN methodology was used to model business processes, and the following tools were used for the practical implementation of the project - MS Visio, MS Project, MS SQL SERVER, QlikView, Access. The results of the final qualification work were used in the process of modernization of the business process of the Bank of PJSC CB "UBRiR".

This thesis deals with software process improvement based on the deployment package Software testing, which is a guide for implementation of testing related processes of the international standard ISO/IEC 29110 Life-Cycle Profiles for Very Small Entities. The aim of this thesis is localization of the deployment package Software testing into Czech and realization of the pilot project based on this package on the real software project in a very small enterprise. Another aim is to evaluate the deployment package and to propose modifications to improve it. The real benefit of this thesis is in realization of the pilot project itself, which resulted in testing process improvement in the enterprise. Another expected benefits of this thesis based on its goals are in actual localization of the deployment package into Czech, its evaluation and suggestion of its modifications. Thesis as a whole can be used as a guide and information source for other enterprises seeking an improvement of the testing process as it provides an example of the deployment package Software testing implementation and also theoretical introduction to testing and software process improvement in a small enterprise.

Thesis (M.Sc.) (Honours) -- University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, 1999. / A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Honours), March, 1999. Bibliography : leaves 117-125.