This thesis maintains that, far from being politically impartial bodies, as professional associations might suggest, professions as a whole are resolutely influenced in their activities by the political will of the times. At the beginning of the third millennium, this ???will??? is described as neocorporatism, an ideology based on corporate structure and third sector co-governance. The research highlights the interrelationships between professions and ideology. A case study of the Canadian Institute of Planners - CIP - demonstrates how this neocorporatist philosophy is having an impact on its power and legitimacy and, ultimately, its effect within Canadian society. An historical review demonstrates how the Canadian Institute of Planners has reacted to and reflected state ideology throughout its history. It is clear that the organisation has been in a submissive relationship with the state until recently, where we see the balance of power starting to shift. The CIP is currently reorganising itself to better integrate with the state and improve its government relations. Documentation tracks the CIP???s participation in national policy processes and shows that it is, in fact, becoming significantly more involved in policy-making through various federal government consultation and partnership initiatives. The Canadian Institute of Planners seems to rely solely on practical conjecture to inform its operational choices. My hermeneutical discourse analysis uses existing theory and empirical information to advance our understanding of the CIP and by implication, professions in general. This enlightenment can help direct the organisation???s strategy within the neocorporate state apparatus and, ultimately, enable it to gain power, legitimacy and greater influence within Canada???s policy- and decision-making spheres.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Year of submission on cover: 1997. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 99-102).

This research is concerned with the professional culture of planners and planning consultants working on aspects of urban planning and management in Third World settings. Research on planners' professional culture is of intrinsic value in development studies, where little is known about the socio-economic background, values, attitudes, and role orientations of either group despite the key roles both groups play in the management of human settlements. The particular point of departure here, however, is the significance of such research to planning studies. Of particular relevance, in this context, are the critical notions in the current literature on Third World urbanization and planning that the skills and attitudes of planning professionals are not attuned to the economic, social, and environmental questions which lie behind the material aspects of human habitat in Third World countries. This, it is contended, is in part due to the socialization of Third World planners to Western attitudes, standards, and values during their professional training in industrialized countries. The research reported here represents an attempt to explore these issues, drawing on samples of planning practitioners in several Third World countries (Barbados, Jamaica, India, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) and of planning consultants and academics working regularly on urban problems in Third World settings. The results were derived from a questionnaire survey designed to elicit information on respondents’ role orientations and values, and on their attitudes toward specific issues that relate to the theory and practice of urban planning and management. These include attitudes toward rural-urban migration, the informal sector, squatter settlements, self-help service provision, the use of Western versus indigenous methods and solutions, and receptiveness to current ideas about project replicability and cost recovery. Findings revealed that Third World planners and planning consultants do share some important professional traits as well as elements of a common culture, with a core of shared ideology, similar to that found among developed-world planners despite the differences in contextual detail. Nonetheless, the study findings point to significant overall differences in the attitudes of Third World planners and planning consultants toward planning issues and professional role orientations. The typical Third World planner is a middle-class male of mid-career age who attaches a good deal of importance to his profession and supports the notion of success via technical competence, and administrative and managerial skills, and yet at the same time pragmatic and grassroots oriented. Furthermore, Third World planners as a group do not see the profession as elitist, nor do they regard Western concepts, methods, or training in developed-world institutions as inappropriate to their professional roles. The typical planning consultant, on the other hand, though also male is somewhat older, is more likely to have a social science than a planning, architecture, or engineering background is more likely to have a higher degree and is rather skeptical about professional effectiveness and egalitarianism. It is suggested here that the difference between these actors emanates from the differences in the modus operandi of each group. In short, whereas planning consultants have the luxury to conceptualize problems and solutions in stable environments, insulated from the cut and thrust of local practice, Third World planners operating in environments afflicted with rapid change, uncertainty, and instability are of necessity compelled to adopt a more pragmatic outlook. Thus despite the seeming overpowering circumstances, Third World planners were found to be guardedly optimistic, quietly confident, and resiliently content to pursue their ideals. lt was thus concluded that contextual factors to which planners are exposed to are major determinant of planners' professional role orientations and world-views. / Ph. D.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 21, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Dae-Young Kim. Includes bibliographical references.

Canadian planners face an uncertain future. The communities which planners serve are experiencing significant change and seeking answers to the environmental, economic, and social factors affecting them Planners have been disparaged publicly and in writing by prominent popular writers, criticized by planning theorists, reproached by politicians and the public, and challenged from within and outside the profession to explore new ways of addressing the issues facing society. While planners have been caught up in those debates and issues, no one has asked planners what they think about the future of their profession. This study examines the state of Canadian planning^ asks practitioners what they think about their profession, and identifies the factors which affect the work of planners. The study is based upon a review of planning literature and a survey of Canadian planners. The literature review examines others' -mainly planning theorists'- primary research to explore the historic relationship between planners and city building and the influences of that relationship upon modem planning thought and practice. The study also reviews the evolution of modem planning theory and modern planning practice. The examination of the history and theory of planning provides a context for the exploration of practitioners' views of the nature and status of planning in Canada. The focus of the study is an analysis of the views of Canadian practitioners on the current state of planning. Five hundred and two questionnaires were sent to a random sample of members of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), representing 14% of the Provisional and Full members. One hundred and tiiirty three or 27% of the sample responded. The results provide a detailed understanding of what Canadian planners identify as the issues facing Canadian planning practice. The study confirms that a majority of Canadian planners believe that planning practice is facing or is in a state of crisis. They suggest that the crisis is caused by a number of factors such as the political nature of planning decision-making, lack of public understanding of planning, and lack of understanding of planning by politicians. Many planners feel that planning is compromised by the politics of place and that, more and more, planning is facing conflicts of competing interests. In the face of those pressures, planners believe that most planners have become agents of order rather than agents of change. They suggest that the future of planning rests in identifying appropriate new concepts of planning action. A large number also believe that there is a weak linkage between the theory and practice of planning which threatens the well being of planning practice. Building upon the findings of the survey and Len Gertler's 1994 challenge to the Canadian Institute of Planners to identify a "more appropriate development model," the study suggests that a "new development model" could reinvigorate Canadian planning and build effective linkages between theory and practice. The study suggests the evolving concepts of healthy communities and sustainable development could provide a framework for such a model which could have a social reform and interventionist approach to community-based action. The dissertation offers suggestions on the potential form of the model and the role that the Canadian Institute of Planners could play in articulating it.

True loyalty, which denotes customer's willingness to continue patronizing a firm over the long term, buying its goods and service on a repeated and preferably exclusive basis, and voluntarily giving word-of-mouth referrals to friends and associates, is an extremely valuable asset to the financial service providers - as the customer's motivation for switching to competitive alternatives is reduced. A conceptual model is developed in this paper to present the likely influence of customer relationship quality with the salesperson on the development of true customer service loyalty (dispositional dimension) to the associated financial service provider firm through personal capitalization on a customer's trust, satisfaction, commitment, affective conflict and reduced perceived risk with the salesperson (attributional dimensions) and a customer's positive perceived service quality of the firm (structural dimension). It is suggested that a strong customer relationship with a financial planning salesperson leads to true service loyalty to the principal, as positive attitudes towards the salesperson are transferred directly to the firm. In situations where a strong relationship develops between the customer and only one particular salesperson, true loyalty to the firm will be a consequential outcome of high personal loyalty and, therefore, rely on the continued availability of the salesperson. To assist managers in encouraging relationship development between their financial planning sales professionals and their customers, potential antecedents of relationship quality in the perspective of sales ethics and interpersonal selling behaviours are identified and discussed in this paper. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / "Individual workshop report." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-175).

This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are no longer new to the Town & Regional Planning (TRP) profession and have been implemented by different municipalities worldwide. The effective use of a GIS by municipal Town & Regional Planning departments in Gauteng would accelerate planning processes and enable more complex decision-making. This would expedite more effective land development administration associated with urban growth (Masser et al, 1996, p.195). This study investigates, by means of a mail survey and telephonic follow up conversations, the extent of use of GIS by the twenty-three municipal Town & Regional Planning department offices in Gauteng. Factors that, according to literature (Longley et al, 2001, p.346), could possibly result in limited GIS use, are identified and investigated with regard to each factors significance and further investigated. This includes a specific investigation into whether a GIS is available to Town & Regional Planning department offices, either on municipal level and/or departmentally as well as an investigation into the extent and quality of the GIS training of employees in a department office. The study establishes that the extent of use of GIS by the municipal Town & Regional Planning department offices in Gauteng is limited. Further, that GIS availability as well as GIS training are significant problem factors contributing to limited GIS use (Chapter 2). The absence of a GIS at municipal level in the six municipal regions in Gauteng, as possible cause to GIS availability problems as posed by literature (Easa et al, 2000, p.26), does not significantly contribute as a cause to less GIS availability, should a department office rely on using a municipally implemented GIS. The study identifies that a municipally implemented GIS, in most cases managed centrally in a specific department, is set up conducive for use by municipal Town & Regional Planning department offices. The study specifically establishes that although a GIS and Town & Regional Planning data may be 100% available via a network, some department offices may experience GIS availability problems because of the inadequate development of an intranet to serve a wider local area, and/or the absence of an Internet GIS (Chapter 3). Further investigation into whether GIS availability problems have their origin at departmental level, as posed by literature (Easa et al, 2000, p.11), establishes that a smaller GIS has been implemented departmentally by 43% department offices themselves. Only three of the thirteen department offices, without a departmental GIS, can access a municipal implemented GIS. These findings indicate the origin and nature of GIS availability problems experienced, since 8% of department offices do not have either a municipal or departmental GIS and 35% of department offices are experiencing problems to access a municipally implemented GIS, indicating why 82% of the department offices experience GIS and data availability problems which limits GIS use (Chapter 4). An investigation into the origin and cause of specific GIS training problems, experienced by 91% of the responding department offices’ employees, establishes that GIS departmental training problems are caused by a lack of GIS knowledge and/or employees with a Town & Regional Planning qualification that does not seem to have GIS as a subject, since 82% of the department offices indicate a need for GIS short courses (Chapter 4). Research into the formal Town & Regional Planning qualification as offered by the ten accredited tertiary institutions, with regard to the incorporation of GIS as a subject, establishes that the inclusion of the subject in the curriculum is not a significant cause of GIS training problems (Longley et al, 2005, p.431). The more recent introduction of the subject GIS into the curriculum explains why some employees have a formal qualification without GIS as subject. Specific problems are identified that negatively affect the teaching of GIS as a subject and cause a need for GIS study material that is specifically tailored for Town & Regional Planners (Chapter 5). The availability of a GIS and GIS training of department office employees is interrelated in facilitating effective use of GIS by municipal Town & Regional Planning department offices in Gauteng. This study specifically establishes that where a GIS exists at municipal level, such a system has to be made accessible to department offices within. This could be achieved either through appropriate development of the current inadequate intranet and/or the Internet, or further the implementation of a smaller GIS in department offices without a GIS. In addition, short courses should be offered in GIS for employees who did not have GIS as a subject when they qualified as well as to lecturers at tertiary institutions, who are not qualified to teach GIS. The offering of these GIS short courses can be supported through the developing of GIS study material tailored for Town & Regional Planners. These interventions, if implemented, will contribute to better GIS availability in municipal Town & Regional Planning department offices in Gauteng as well as GIS training of the Town & Regional Planning profession as a whole, resulting in more effective use of GIS. / Dr. L.G.C. Scheepers

This thesis analyzes the role of negotiation theory and skills training in planning school curricula. This analysis is based on (1) a literature review focusing on planning, managing and negotiating and (2) a survey on negotiation and dispute resolution in North American planning schools. The literature review indicates that negotiation is a foundation skill for planners. Planning and managing are functions performed by planners. Both functions involve political decision making and political communication. Conflict situations are inevitable in political work environments, and negotiation is significant as a way to manage conflict. Hence, planners should have negotiating skills. However, very few planners have, at any stage of their development, been made aware of the range of negotiation theories, roles, strategies or tactics they might adopt. Prominent planning educators such as Baum, Forester, Schon and Susskind have raised a concern that many planners lack negotiating skills. They point to education as a solution. Based on the survey results, at least 25 percent of Canadian and 15 percent of American planning schools now offer one or more courses in these subjects. These courses began to emerge in 1981-1982. An analysis of the curricula materials collected indicates that these courses are based on the cooperative, problem solving approach advocated in two popular American books - namely: (1) "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury and (2) "The Art and Science of Negotiation" by Raiffa. The main recommendation of this thesis is that planning educators recognize the need to equip planners with a basic level of negotiation theory and skill training. The development of negotiating skills depends on learning appropriate kinds of behaviour. Learning is facilitated by practice and exposure to simulated problem solving situations. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate