Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The role of public transport is to stimulate urban, social, sustainable and economic developments by transport of passengers based on their needs with public transport organizations functioning as operators in this environment. This dissertation reports on the research done on resilience in urban public transport organizations; it presents the guiding principles and the framework of resilience and the ability of public transport organizations to embed this capability. The emerging discipline of resilience studies is multidimensional and multidisciplinary. The phenomenon has been examined to present a holistic perspective on resilience through an extensive review of the literature, supplemented by empirical research in the European public transport sector. Resilience has been defined as the capacity of an organization to survive, adapt and grow in the face of turbulent change. Existing research tends to focus on the relevance of the concept of resilience in a diversity of environments. There is little information or research that reflects the design principles and specific success factors in the public transport sector. The literature research produced several logical conclusions, which were reviewed by using structured interviews with a selected group of specialists in this field. This made it possible to determine guiding principles, to structure the framework, and to develop a unique classification of (i) the most fundamental vulnerability factors that make an organization susceptible to disruptions; and (ii) the capability factors as attributes required for sustained performance or accomplishment. All these findings are synthesised and this research establishes the ability of public transport organizations to implement a resilience approach within the boundaries of their level of advancement and prioritised direction statements. Recommendations for further research include extending the proposed framework empirically to other functions and to other organizations than urban public transport organizations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die rol van openbare vervoer is om stedelike, sosiale, volhoubare en ekonomiese ontwikkeling te stimuleer deur die vervoer van passasiers op grond van hul behoeftes. Openbare vervoerorganisasies funksioneer as operateurs in hierdie omgewing. Hierdie proefskrif doen verslag oor die navorsing oor veerkrag in stedelike openbare vervoerorganisasies en verskaf die basiese beginsels en die raamwerk van veerkrag en die moontlikheid dat openbare vervoerorganisasies hierdie vermoë insluit. Die opkomende dissipline van veerkragstudies is multidimensioneel en multidissiplinêr en die verskynsel is ondersoek om 'n holistiese perspektief op veerkrag aan te bied deur ’n omvattende oorsig van die literatuur, aangevul deur empiriese navorsing oor die Europese openbare vervoer. Veerkrag word gedefinieer as die vermoë van 'n organisasie om te oorleef, aan te pas en te groei ten spyte van turbulente verandering. Bestaande navorsing neig om te fokus op die toepaslikheid van die konsep van veerkrag in 'n verskeidenheid van omgewings. Min inligting of navorsing weerspieël die ontwerpbeginsels en spesifieke suksesfaktore daarvan in die openbare vervoer. Die literatuurnavorsing het tot verskeie logiese gevolgtrekkings gelei, wat hersien is deur die gebruik van gestruktureerde onderhoude met 'n geselekteerde groep spesialiste in hierdie veld. Dit het dit moontlik gemaak om riglyne op te stel, die raamwerk te struktureer, en 'n unieke klassifikasie te ontwikkel van (i) die mees basiese kwesbaarheidsfaktore wat ’n organisasie vatbaar maak vir ontwrigting, en (ii) die vermoëfaktore as eienskappe wat vereis word vir volgehoue prestasie of vervulling. Al hierdie bevindings word gesintetiseer en hierdie navorsing vestig die vermoë van openbare vervoerorganisasies om ’n veerkragbenadering te implementeer binne die grense van hul vlak van vooruitgang en geprioritiseerde rigtingverklarings. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing sluit in die uitbreiding van die voorgestelde raamwerk empiries na ander funksies en na ander organisasies as die van stedelike openbare vervoer.

The purpose of this linear-analytic exploratory case study is to illustrate the reintegration process from acute care and rehabilitative care to the traditional school setting after one has sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is an unrecognized educational challenge. Few educational professionals are aware of the divarication of TBI. Traumatic Brain Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the United States. The review of literature reveals there is a void between the requirements of the law and educator preparedness regarding TBI. There is a need for a proactive means to enhance transition and reintegration of a TBI student from rehabilitation to the traditional school setting. The research study showed the schematic efforts of one school division to integrate a TBI student. This exploratory case study emphasized the importance of a proactive education treatment planning process that facilitates the transition to the school setting. The study is qualitative in design and examined the sequence of subtopics of the problem, a review of relevant literature, methods used, findings of the data collected and analyzed, and conclusions and implications from the findings. This case study is analogous to a single experiment. Data were gathered from archival records, educational records, medical records, teachers and therapists comments, friends' perceptions, family histories, recollections, and interviews with participants in the reintegration process. There were three major domains that have been extracted from the case study. The first domain, the strengths and weakness of the student in the post traumatic brain injury environment were collated, collected, and analyzed. The second domain, the adaptation of Larry involved three general sub sets: (1) Larry's self adaptation, (2) the participants' roles in the student's adaptation, and (3) other influential factors in Larry's adaptation. The third domain centers on the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies used by the school division in the reintegration process. The strengths fell into five general categories; (1) caring professional (2) existing structure for disabled students, (3) cooperation, (4) willingness of general education teachers to make accommodations, and (5) willingness of school-based clinicians to try a variety of approaches. The weaknesses consisted of seven categories; (1) little knowledge of TBI, (2) no in-house pro-active plan,(3) no historical data on TBI, (4) no written records, (5) not central structure (scattered resources), (6) no written plan, and (7) no roster teacher/case manager with authority to direct staff with TBI scenario. The study will enhance the understanding of TBI and will provide a meaningful guide to parents, educators, and school based clinicians. The results illustrated that the data base of this study contained the critical pieces of evidence, this evidence was presented neutrally, and the evidence is valid. A holistic overview of the findings included the major domains and data sources that were explored. Additionally, the integrant building blocks that support this holistic overview are provided. In conclusion this case study discusses implications and recommendations. Of note is the reconciliation of this case study with the literature on TBI. / Ed. D.

Older adults have an increased risk for illness and disease, factors that can lead to functional impairment and intensify the need for reliance on supportive services. Planning for long-term care needs is a vital component of healthy aging and continued autonomy. Yet, many older adults fail to make plans in advance, perhaps due to differences in personal characteristics. The moderating effects of trait hope on the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and preparation for future care needs (PFCN) was studied in a sample of 65 older adult primary care patients (<65 years) in western New York. Participants completed a questionnaire on 5 dimensions of PFCN (awareness of risk, information gathering, decisions about care preferences, concrete planning, and active avoidance). In addition, data were collected on five HRQoL domains (physical function, physical role function, emotional role function, social function, and bodily pain) and trait hope. Moderated multiple regression was used to test the moderator hypothesis controlling for personal characteristics. Post-hoc probing was used to further examine significant interactions. At the bivariate level, social functioning, physical functioning, and emotion-based role were inversely related to PFCN and positively related to hope. Multivariate moderation models covarying age, sex, race, education, illness burden, and functional impairment indicated that hopefulness, particularly agentic thinking or goal identification, moderated the relationship between those three HRQoL dimensions and PFCN behaviors. Among those with greater role limitations, lower hope was associated with more awareness of risk and information gathering and less concrete decision making, whereas among individuals with fewer role limitations and better social and physical functioning, higher levels of hopefulness were associated with increased decision making. These results highlight the need for health professionals to gain a better understanding of their patients'intrapersonal characteristics when discussing issues related to future care planning.