The introduction of training and skills development legislation, such as the Skills Development Act No. 97 of 1998, and the Skills Development Levies Act No. 9 of 1999, has forced organisations to invest in the development of skills of its employees in South Africa. The National Skills Development Strategy, the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA) are other legislative measures introduced by the South African government to contribute to the importance of training and skills development in organisations. It is necessary for the public sector organisations to train and develop the skills of its personnel in order to improve organisational, team and individual performance. Training and skills development should also assist in forming the basis for lifelong learning and to increase productivity and quality of work. A comprehensive human resource training and development strategy should be linked to the business strategy and the human resource management strategy in organisations. The primary objective of this study was to analyse the views of employees and to determine their level of awareness regarding training and skills development and how these can improve performance in the Free State Province municipalities. To reach this primary objective, a number of secondary objectives were considered as relevant. These included exploring the concepts of training, skills development and performance management. An analysis of statutory and regulatory guidelines pertaining to training and skills development and the assessment of structures, procedures and processes that exist in municipalities for the promotion of training and skills development were also highlighted. The effects of adequate training and skills development on performance in the Free State Province municipalities were analysed. Lastly, guidelines and recommendations regarding training, skills development and performance management were developed for municipalities in the Free State Province. The research was conducted in the Free State Province municipalities. It comprised of a literature study and an empirical survey using questionnaires and interviews to obtain information from managers, supervisors and frontline staff in the Free State Province municipalities. The respondents were tested on their views regarding the impact of training and skills development programmes in improving performance in their workplace. The findings of this research demonstrated that training and skills development enhances performance of personnel in specific functional areas in the Free State Province municipalities, and for this to be more effective on performance in municipalities, it should be provided adequately in specific areas of the Local Government Five Year Strategic Agenda, particularly to the Free State Province municipalities. Some of the most important findings of this research are the following: •that most of the managers and frontline staff in Free State Province municipalities received adequate training and skills development programmes; •that most of the trainings and skills development programmes received by managers in the Free State Province municipalities were related to their job tasks; •that managers and frontline staff in Free State Province municipalities felt motivated to do their job tasks after they were provided with training and skills development programmes; •that managers in Free State Province municipalities still find it difficult to ensure public participation by their communities even after training and skills development programmes were provided to them; and •that adequate training and skills development of personnel improves performance in many functional areas in municipalities in Free State Province. The study ends with recommendations for management actions on training needs, and for further research on this topic. / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The quality of education in especially the Further Education and Training phase (FET) is recognised as one of the most significant challenges facing the South African government. Low teacher morale, lack of parental involvement, learners' ignorance in taking responsibility for their own learning and other educational problems are all identified as contributing factors. This study was undertaken to investigate how critical thinking skills can contribute to promoting quality teaching and learning in secondary schools with specific reference to the FET phase. The study also sought to make recommendations that will assist teachers to integrate critical thinking skills into the teaching and learning experiences in the FET phase. The nature of quality teaching and learning, the nature of critical thinking skills and the correlation between the concepts to improve the quality of education were researched by means of a literature study. A quantitative research design followed, using questionnaires as research instrument. From the research conducted it was found that learners in the FET phase do not take responsibility for their learning and therefore many of these learners still do not perceive learning as important. However, effective learning could take place if learners are confident, independent, active participants and explore a variety of learning strategies. Teachers, on the other hand, should adopt particular forms of behaviour to foster certain types of learning. The ability to teach critical thinking skills to learners poses a great challenge as many teachers are not trained to do so. This has a great influence on the exposure of an integrated constructivist method of teaching and learning and therefore inflicts on the delivery of quality teaching and learning in the FET phase of secondary schools in South Africa. / MEd, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

A series of acts which were passed during the apartheid era have undoubtedly deprived the marginalized groups, namely, the so called Coloureds, Indians and the black majority their political rights. Apartheid policies enshrined in the then constitution, ill-considered the wellbeing and wellness of these groups, while at the same time, a white minority was solely privileged. Being the victims of segregation, the deprived groups continuously suffered from the political, and socio-economic setbacks, which disabled them to lead healthy lifestyles. Racial division which was prevalent in many workplaces, particularly in the mining sector, disadvantaged many of them, blacks in particular, to perform skilled labour. They were therefore destined to perform unskilled labour which classified them as cheap labourers, hence meagre wages. The results of segregation bore the fruits of abject poverty which impacted negatively on many. Problems of housing and infrastructure are still confronting many households to date since scores of them are 'shack dwellers' nationwide, living in squalid conditions which are a threat to their health. Overcrowding and poor teaching and learning were prime causes of learners to discontinue their education prematurely. High dropout rates became prevalent mostly in rural areas, where schooling accommodation was limited. Schools can only be safe places of teaching and learning when all horrifying acts of violence such as sexual abuse, rape, intimidation, assaults, bullying and murder are urgently eliminated. All the stakeholders in education should collectively work together to ensure that health promotion in schools is maintained. Against the abovementioned background the primary aim of this research was to determine what health promotion entails within the context of a selected group of 10 primary schools in the Southern Region of the North West Province. A qualitative research methodology was selected to achieve this outcome. Data was gathered by means of focus group interviews. The transcriptions were analysed generating items that were labeled as main categories and subcategories. Pertaining the main categories it was evident that are several aspects that can determine the health and well-being in a school. These include: the leadership of the school, the role of the parents, the duties of the educators, the existence of plans and the policy concerning HIV/Aids. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

A call for parents to be involved in the education of their children is not a modern phenomenon at all. It is increasingly a call which invites parents to be involved in every sphere of their children‟s lives, including their health. Children of South Africa, like many other children in Africa, are engulfed with health issues. These problems range from drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, obesity, violence, suicide, alcohol, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to engage parents in an effort to promote the health of their children in school and together with schools. Various parental roles were established during the early part of the century when parents were obliged to raise their children according to the set standard. As time went by, schools clearly drew a line to distinguish their role from parents‟ roles. Later on a need for parental involvement in schools arose again and a call for parents to attend to their obligations was a necessity, although parents were seen as problems by teachers. This allowed a space for barriers to grow between parents and teachers to such an extent that there was no collaboration in addressing problems affecting children in schools. To investigate the issue of parental roles and health promotion in schools thoroughly, qualitative measures were applied. The analysis indicated that there is indeed a great need for parents to be involved in promoting the health of their children in schools. However, a lack of knowledge amongst parents and a lack of skills to work with parents amongst teachers hamper the possibility of preventing most of the health issues affecting many children of South Africa. Indeed parental participation in schools and health promoting schools can yield positive results not only for the children, but for the schools and parents as well. Therefore, the government must employ practical strategies to involve parents in promoting the health of children in schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

A shool-based support programme for the intermedediate learner wuth depression This study is aimed at determining whether a school-based support programme can aid the intermediate learner with depression in decreasing his depression levels. It focuses on: the world of experience of the intermediate learner with depression; the role of the school as an overall health-promoting environment; and the creation of a school-based support programme for the intermediate learner with depression. The learner (the intermediate learner included) spends most of the day at school, so the educator can play an important role in identifying and following up problems and getting the school to function as a health-promoting environment. South African schools are focused mainly on primary and tertiary intervention, while secondary intervention reveals a serious deficiency. In the empirical investigation, 16 intermediate learners who were identified with depression were, involved in a purposeful convenience test sample by means of the CDI questionnaire. There was an experimental and a control group of eight members respectively. According to the results of the pretestposttest, the school-based support programme in which the experimental group participated caused their depression levels to decrease significantly. The need for a school support programme for the intermediate learner with depression was validated from this point of view. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

The purpose of this study was to determine, by means of a review of literature and empirical research, the impact of dietary interventions on the classroom health promotion of Foundation Phase learners with ADD. In order to reach this goal, it was imperative to illustrate the meaning of the concepts health, wellness, health promoting schools, nutrition and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The objective of the empirical research was to determine whether dietary interventions would promote the health of Foundation Phase learners with ADD in the classroom by focusing on decreasing their levels of hyperactivity, increasing their concentration and improving their social behaviour. In conclusion, the following are some of the findings of this study. Dietary interventions impacted positively on: the hyperactivity level of participating foundation phase learners with ADD in the classroom; the ability of participating foundation phase learners with ADD to concentrate in the classroom; and the social behaviour of participating foundation phase learners with ADD in the classroom. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Syftet med studien är att analysera och beskriva äldre personers (65 +) syn på hälsa och hälsobeteende. Studien avser också att undersöka huruvida kunskap om hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor styr deras hälsobeteende. Till sist görs jämförelsen om äldre personer (65 +) tänker och agerar på annat sätt än andra vuxna (18 - 64 år) när det gäller hälsa och hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor. Mixad metod har använts för att analysera enkäter och strukturerade intervjuer från studien ”Hälsa och Ansvar”, som utgick från Jönköpings universitet 2011 - 2012. Resultatet visar att möjlighet att fungera i vardagen blir en viktig hälsofaktor för äldre personer men att äldre och andra vuxna inte beskriver hälsa på annat sätt i övrigt. Äldre personer lägger större vikt vid hur de mår än om de har sjukdomar när de bedömer sin hälsa. Det ser inte ut att finnas något samband mellan hur hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor beskrivs och hur kunskapen används i det dagliga livet i någon av åldersgrupperna. Slutsatser: det föreligger en liten skillnad mellan hur äldre och andra vuxna ser på hälsa. Kunskap om hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor ser inte ut att styra hälsobeteende i det dagliga livet. / The purpose of the study is to analyze and describe how elderly people (65+) perceive health and health behaviors. The study also intends to explore whether knowledge about healthy living habits controls their health behaviors. Finally, a comparison is made between how elderly people (65+) think and act as opposed to younger adults (18 - 64 years old) in terms of health and healthy lifestyles. The Mixed Method has been used to analyze the questionnaires and structured interviews from the study "Health and Responsibility" which emanated from the Jönköping University 2011 - 2012. The results show that the ability to function in everyday life becomes an important health factor for elderly people, but elderly and younger adults do not otherwise describe health differently. When assessing their health, the elderly put more emphasis on how they feel than whether they suffer from any diseases.  There does not appear to be any correlation between how healthy lifestyles are described and how the knowledge is used in daily life in any of the age groups. Conclusions: there is a slight difference between how younger and older adults describe health. Knowledge of healthy lifestyles does not seem to control health behavior in daily life.

Submitted by Gabriela Lopes (gmachadolopesufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-07-05T14:00:51Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertação de Mestrado - Ester Schiavon Matoso.pdf: 3410407 bytes, checksum: 162df96e3e5a35b23543fd851dc17f78 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-07-11T20:54:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação de Mestrado - Ester Schiavon Matoso.pdf: 3410407 bytes, checksum: 162df96e3e5a35b23543fd851dc17f78 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-11T20:54:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação de Mestrado - Ester Schiavon Matoso.pdf: 3410407 bytes, checksum: 162df96e3e5a35b23543fd851dc17f78 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-23 / A cana-de-açúcar é uma cultura de grande importância no Brasil, o país é o primeiro do mundo na produção de cana e açúcar, segundo em etanol e conquista, cada vez mais, o mercado externo com o uso do biocombustível como alternativa energética. Um dos problemas desta cultura é o plantio convencional, pois nele ocorre o gasto excessivo de colmos que poderiam ser destinados à indústria, além de aumentar o risco de difusão de pragas e doenças. Além disso, a cana-de-açúcar é extremamente dependente da adubação nitrogenada, pois entre os nutrientes responsáveis pela sua nutrição, o nitrogênio é o elemento absorvido em maior quantidade. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da inoculação de bactérias diazotróficas na produção de mudas originadas de minitoletes e de cultura de tecidos de cana-de-açúcar em substratos alternativos. Utilizaram-se as variedades de cana RB867515, RB92579, RB966928 e RB975932, e substratos produzidos a partir da mistura de casca de arroz carbonizada e composto orgânico, além de um de marca comercial. E foram desenvolvidos diversos experiementos, onde foram avaliados: a sobrevivência das espécies de bactérias diazotróficas nos substratos; parâmetros relacionados à brotação, desenvolvimento de parte aérea e de raízes, além do acúmulo de nitrogênio de mudas; a resposta dessas à inoculação quanto ao perfilhamento, teor de clorofila, área foliar, acúmulo de biomassa, incremento de massa seca, teor de nitrogênio e fixação biológica; e no cultivo in vitro foi aviada a multiplicação das brotações e o crescimento de plântulas em frascos contendo meio semissólido e em biorreator de imersão temporária, a resposta destas plantas à inoculação quanto ao enraizamento e a aclimatação nos diferentes substratos. Os resultados obtidos indicam a interação entre as variedades, substratos e inoculação para todos os parâmetros avaliados que envolveram estes fatores. Os substratos contendo casca de arroz carbonizada e composto orgânico apresentam melhores resultados na sobrevivência de bactérias diazotróficas e podem ser utilizados desde a aclimatação até o desenvolvimento de mudas. Todas as variedades apresentam excelente desenvolvimento de mudas a partir de micropropagação e também de minitoletes, e de alguma forma respondem à inoculação de bactérias diazotróficas, mas apesar disso, apenas na RB92579 e na RB975932 ocorreu a fixação biológica de nitrogênio / Sugarcane is a very important culture in Brazil, the country is the world's first in the production of cane and sugar, second of ethanol and increasingly conquers the foreign market with the use of biofuel as an alternative energy. One of the problems of this crop is conventional planting, because in it occurs the excessive spending of stalks that could be destined to the industry, besides increasing the risk of diffusion of plagues and diseases. Moreover, sugarcane is extremely dependent on nitrogen fertilization, because among the nutrients responsible for its nutrition, nitrogen is the element absorbed in greater quantity. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the inoculation of diazotrophic bacteria in the promotion of growth, rooting and biological nitrogen fixation of pre-sprouted and micropropagated sugarcane seedlings produced in alternative substrates. Were used the sugarcane varieties RB867515, RB92579, RB966928 and RB975932, and substrates produced from the mixture of carbonized rice rusk and organic compound, in addition to a trademark. And several experiments were developed, where they were evaluated: the survival of the diazotrophic bacteria species in the substrates; parameters related to sprouting, aerial part and root development, and nitrogen accumulation of seedlings; the response of these seedlings to inoculation for tillering, chlorophyll content, leaf area, biomass accumulation, dry mass increase, nitrogen content and biological fixation; And in the in vitro cultivation the multiplication of the shoots and the growth of seedlings in glass jars containing semi-solid medium and in temporary immersion bioreactor, the response of these plants to the inoculation in rooting and the acclimatization in the different substrates. The results indicate the interaction between the varieties, inoculation and substrates for all evaluated parameters that involved these factors. The substrates containing carbonized rice rusk and organic compost present better results in the survival of diazotrophic bacteria and can be used from acclimatization to the development of seedlings. All varieties show excellent development of seedlings from micropropagation and also minitoletes, and somehow respond to the inoculation of diazotrophic bacteria, but nevertheless, only in RB92579 and in RB975932 the biological fixation of nitrogen.

The work is analyzing strategies of a real service providing company doing business in the Czech Republic. It investigates its capability to deal with the changing environment and to face problems in its field - the entertainment industry. In order to see the company's future potential it looks deep into its individual strategies leading to reach the preset goals and examines in detail its main products. Also, it studies its relationship with employees, clients, suppliers and competition. Then, it weights its marketing tools to suggest the appropriate ones according to the chosen segment of its positionning.

Accurate chromosome segregation is crucial as mis-segregation results in aneuploidy, which can lead to severe diseases such as cancer. The spindle checkpoint monitors sister-chromatid attachment and inhibits the onset of anaphase until all chromosomes are correctly bi-oriented on the mitotic spindle. The spindle checkpoint machinery of S.pombe is composed of many proteins, one of which is the kinase Mph1 (Mps1p-like pombe homolog). It previously has been shown that Mph1 is essential for the spindle checkpoint but not whether this is due to its kinase activity. In this study we determined the role of Mph1 kinase activity in the spindle checkpoint. To do so a kinase-dead version of Mph1, which had no detectable kinase activity, was analysed. Using this kinase-dead allele we showed that lack of Mph1 kinase activity abolished the spindle checkpoint and led to chromosome missegregation. As a result of these two defects cell viability of cells lacking Mph1 kinase activity was severely impaired. These results led to the question of how Mph1 kinase activity regulates the spindle checkpoint. Spindle checkpoint signalling is thought to mainly take place at two sites, at the kinetochore and at the anaphase promoting complex (APC). The APC is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that drives cells into anaphase by targeting the separase inhibitor securin and cyclin B for degradation by the 26 S proteasome. Upon activation of the spindle checkpoint the APC is inhibited by the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) composed of Slp1, Mad2 and Mad3. In this study we wanted to test whether the regulatory role of Mph1 kinase in the spindle checkpoint is via MCC binding to the APC. Using the kinase-dead version of Mph1 we showed that Mad2 and Mad3 binding to the APC is severely impaired in the absence of Mph1 kinase activity. This result led to the hypothesis that Mph1 might regulate Mad2 and Mad3 binding Using kinase assays Mad2 and Mad3 were identified as in vitro substrates of Mph1 and phosphorylation sites in Mad2 and Mad3 were determined by mass spectrometry. Phosphorylation mutants of Mad2 and Mad3 showed spindle checkpoint defects, indicating that they are important Mph1 substrates.