Thesis (MTech (Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / Air pollution is a global problem and it can also have a larger impact in developing countries like South-Africa. Mossel Bay was one of the regions in the Western-Cape that was rated to have potentially poor air quality. With above mentioned in mind, the research was done in Bayview. Bayview is a upper income suburb of Mossel-Bay. The suburb is surrounded by industrial activities that increased the possibility of a bad status of the air. This research measured the concentrations of the primary pollutants, SO2, NO2, PM10, O3 en Benzine, as well as the meteorological data for a period of one year as from the 1st October 2008 to the 30th of September 2009. The monitoring was done by using the mobile air quality monitoring station of the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning's that was situated in Mossel Bay. The research also correlated with the human aspects of air quality control and the monitoring results. The quality of life of the Bayview residents was measured by using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire had amongst others, obtained the symptoms of certain air quality related diseases that the 114 respondents have recorded for the responding period of air quality monitoring. Other aspects that were researched were obtaining the social status, exposure, and work exposure and health consciousness of the respondents. Air quality surveys can fail if not put in the context of the perceptions of the affected communities. Therefore the perceptions of the respondents were also tested by a structured questionnaire. Aspects of perceptions that were tested were amongst others, the visual influence of perceptions, exposure, social status and the perception of the hazard. The results of the monitoring station for the period from 1st October 2008 to 30 September 2009, were compared with the proposed standards of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (Act 39 of 2004) South-African National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as well as the SANS 1929 target values for PM10. There were no exceedences of the measured pollutants against the National Air Quality Standards. The results found that the SANS 1929 standards were also not exceeded for SO2, NO2, O' and C6H6. The concentrations of PM10 equaled the SANS standards of 75pg/m3 on a few occasions. However, the SANS 1929 daily target values of 50pg/m3 were exceeded on a few occasions. Overall though, the air quality status of the research area was within the legislative conditions. Twenty six point three percent (26.3% n = 30) of the respondents did not indicate any symptoms of any air quality related illnesses during the study period.

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Submitted by RAFAEL FERNANDO DOS SANTOS null (rafael@cordeirobiz.com.br) on 2017-02-03T12:15:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RELAÇÃO DOS AGENTES E ESTRUTURA DE GOVERNANÇA NO ARRANJO PRODUTIVO DA OVINOCULTURA DE CORTE NA REGIÃO DE GUARAPUAVA, PR.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-06T18:32:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_rf_me_bot.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-06T18:32:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_rf_me_bot.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A cadeia produtiva da ovinocultura de corte requer estruturação para atender as demandas dos mercados internos e externos. A segurança alimentar é uma necessidade prioritária de produtores primários, processadores e distribuidores de alimentos, além dos próprios consumidores e organismos governamentais. Estas questões se tornam ainda mais importantes considerando que o segmento é composto de pequenos e médios produtores rurais e pequenas empresas que necessitam eliminar os fatores de insegurança jurídica no campo, melhorar a infraestrutura logística e reduzir custos, dentre outros fatores. Este trabalho teve por objetivo geral estudar a relação entre os agentes da cadeia da ovinocultura de corte. Para tanto, primeiramente foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica baseada na teoria da segurança alimentar, produção de ovinos de corte, cooperativismo, gestão da qualidade, custos de transação, de gestão da cadeia de suprimentos, com o propósito de reunir elementos para guiar o estudo de caso único. A pesquisa de campo teve como objeto de estudo uma cooperativa na cidade de Guarapuava, Paraná, e reuniu ao todo unidades de análises compostas por: produtores rurais, gestores da cooperativa, processador e distribuidores (mercados varejista e institucional). Foram realizadas entrevistas com os agentes para identificação da gestão pelos atributos da qualidade exigidos pelos clientes em diferentes formatos: por meio dos seus desdobramentos ao longo da cadeia; das estruturas de governança; da relação e confiança entre os agentes como componentes de avaliação e de desempenho, incertezas e especificidade dos ativos para melhoria contínua dos processos. Esta estrutura resultou em um nível de gestão simples, com visão sistêmica e cooperação mútua entre os agentes desta cadeia, onde a cooperativa lidera e coordena estas ações. A principal relação entre os agentes da cooperativa é a confiança. Os resultados podem ser utilizados como referência para o planejamento da implantação da gestão da qualidade da produção animal e distribuição entre os agentes da cooperativa, assim como para estruturar e guiar auditorias internas e em fornecedores para as processadoras da carne de cordeiro e as empresas do mercado varejista/institucional, respectivamente. / The chain of sheep meat industry requires structuring to supply the demands of the domestic and foreign markets. Food safety is a priority need for primary producers, processors and distributors of food, in addition to consumers themselves and government agencies. These issues become even more important considering that this production chain is made up of small and medium farmers and small businesses that need to eliminate the legal uncertainty factors in the field, improve logistics infrastructure, reduce costs, among other factors. This work aims to study the relationship between the agentes on the sheep meat chain. Therefore, a literature search based on the theory of food security, production of sheep meat, cooperative, quality management, transaction costs, supply chain management, in order to gather information to guide the case study one of a kind. The field research was to study the object of a cooperative and gathered the whole, composite analysis units by: farmers, the cooperative managers, processors, distributors (retail and institutional markets). Interviews were conducted with agents for quality attributes for identity management required by customers in different formats: through its development along the chain; the relationship and trust between the agents as components of evaluation and performance, uncertainty and assets specificity for continuous process improvement. This structure resulted in a level of simple management, systemic vision and mutual cooperation between actors of the chain, where the cooperative leads and coordinates these actions. The main relationship between cooperative agents is trust. The results can be used as a reference for planning the deployment of animal production quality management and distribution between cooperative agents, as well as to structure and guide internal audits and suppliers to the processing of lamb and for companies retail / institutional market, respectively.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Limpopo, 2009. / The democratic political breakthrough of 1994 in South Africa intensified debate on the delivery of quality public education among the teaching fraternity. This culminated in the promulgation of education legislation such as the South African Schools Act of 1996, the Education Employment Act of 1998 and finally the Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003, which contains a section on the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS).This was an attempt by the Department of Education to enhance the development of educators. The main purpose of the IQMS is to determine educators’ competence, to assess their strengths and areas in need of further development.What triggered the research was the fact that the Department of Education and teachers’unions were always at loggerheads regarding the implementation of the IQMS. This made the researcher investigate the feasibility, successes and shortcomings of the implementation of the IQMS. The researcher used questionnaires, interviews and a document study for the collection of data.The results indicated that the purpose, aim and objectives as enshrined in the Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 had not been realised in the implementation of the IQMS within Lebowakgomo circuit in Limpopo Province. Instead of being developed, educators were left demoralised and confused. The IQMS had lost its meaning in the sense that the monetary aspects were over-emphasized at the expense of the development aspects. The professional development of educators was ignored by the Department of Education, as it did not make in-service training or departmental support in any form available. The departmental officials never visited schools to effect the whole school evaluation required by Collective Agreement Number 8. Thus, educators simply completed the IQMS forms without proper evaluation just for the sake of the 1% salary increase. Lack of support by the Department of Education had indeed put the implementation of the IQMS in a crisis. Finally, recommendations were made. The key recommendation was the amendment of Collective Agreement No. 8 of 2003 so that the Development Support Groups are restructured. Furthermore, the review should take on board a reduction of the instruments that make up the IQMS. This is an attempt to streamline the IQMS and make it user-friendly.

This study seeks to develop a better understanding of the nature and potential of quality management in primary schools and to determine possible professional development strategies for principals in relation to the introduction of quality management within their schools. A questionnaire was utilised to seek the insights, understandings and opinions of thirty-four primary school principals within the Western Sydney area in relation to quality management in their schools and the kinds of leadership support required to initiate and sustain this process. The policy orientation of the research is evident through suggested options for leadership development which emerge from the findings of the quesionnaire. Furthermore, the notion of schools as 'learning communities' is a vision for school education which requires the transformation of the cultural elements of schools to enable all school members to be active managers of their own learning. There is a need to develop systems and processes to allow this vision for schools to emerge, and this research accepts this challenge. This thesis, based on the outcomes of the questionnaire, includes a theoretical framework based on an overview of current models relating to quality management in primary schools and concludes with considerations for the further development of the process in primary schools in New South Wales. / Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

A two-year study was conducted at the Narellan Creek Catchment between September 1998 and August 2000. To improve the quality of the water that flows in to the Nepean River, the Harrington Park retention basin was enlarged and rehabilitated from 7.0 ha to 12.0 ha area. This study measured several parameters of water quality to assess the efficiency of the Harrington Park retention basin for water quality improvement. Three sampling sites – the Camden Valley Way (CVW), Harrington Park retention basin (HPK) and Kirkham Lane (KLN) were selected for sample collection. Water flows from CVW to HPK then to KLN and finally to the Nepean River. Rainfall, water level, discharge rate and ambient temperature were recorded at the KLN site while the selected water quality parameters were determined at all the three sites. Low flow samples were manually collected at monthly intervals. An auto-sampler which collected water samples during rain events (for high flow data) was set up at the KLN site. Rising stage samplers which collected water at different water levels during a rain event, was set up at all the sites but data from this device was found to be of limited use due to the varying time lags between the filling of each bottle. Statistical analyses by various measures show that the Harrington Park retention basin played a significant role in improving the upstream and in-stream water quality. These study shows that constructed wetlands like the Harrington Park retention basin has the ability to significantly improve the water quality of a catchment. The water quality improvement is greater at lower water flow rates. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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This study is a qualitative case study approach to theory building that aims to develop a more holistic understanding of the patterns of coordination in an organisation that has successfully implemented TQM using a communication perspective. The data were gathered at a large private hospital in Bangkok where 36 respondents from nonmedical treatment areas were interviewed. The study used in-depth interviews as the primary data source, complemented with participant-observations and document analysis to address the main research question: In what ways have the effects of TQM on communicative attitudes and practices contributed to coordination? Influenced by the notion of social construction, the analysis suggests that despite TQM consisting of several contributing principles and tools, it is the role of leadership that demonstrated the most significant value to communication and coordination outcomes. Three key patterns of coordination emerge in the study: (1) shared meaning and common purpose derived from management?s interpretation and articulation of TQM reality from a customer perspective, (2) shared understanding as a result of management?s construction of TQM influenced administrative arrangements, and (3) emotional experiences as a result of staff members? social interaction. The finding of this study suggests that achieving coordination is far more complex, and can be difficult to control by management, specifically one emerging from an emotional experience which was found to have more effect on staff members? decisions in investing or reserving their energy in coordination, as compared to the other two patterns. The findings demonstrate that organising coordination is not always rational and static, as previously discussed in the dominant organisation design-based literature. Rather, coordination is highly dependent on the process of social construction, communication, and interaction between organisational members. For this reason, the role of management in ensuring consistency in interpretation and construction of the shared reality, and in ongoing communication is imperative, not only to guide and maintain coordinated actions, but also to achieve meaningful and mindful coordination of members within the organisation. The practical theory developed in the study makes a direct contribution to coordination theory, specifically on the emergence of multi-dimensional coordination patterns which suggests the need to reconsider a research approach that could accommodate the complex nature of coordination which is also driven by communication, social interaction, and reciprocal relationships. Future studies on coordination could be positioned within a relativist, constructionism or interpretivist paradigm and investigate interrelated multiple ontological domains, not only the conventional organisational structure, but also cognition, discursive and social interaction. The study also offers some useful insights into both coordination and communication aspects for practitioners who aim to successfully implement TQM.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2005. / "December, 2005." Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

<p>The general aim of this thesis was to empirically explore the organisational characteristics of quality systems of hospital departments, to develop and empirically test models for the organisation and implementation of quality systems, and to discuss the clinical implications of the findings.</p><p>Data were collected from hospital departments through interviews (n=19) and a nation-wide survey (n=386). The interviews were analysed thematically and organisational models were developed. Relationships among aspects of organisation and implementation were hypothesised and analysed with structural equation modelling.</p><p>The result was a new framework with three organisational aspects of quality systems each with two sub-aspects: structure (resources and administration), process (culture and cooperation), and outcome (evaluation of goal achievement and development of competence).</p><p>Strong positive relationships were confirmed among structure, process, and outcome. Quality systems could therefore be classified into three organisational degrees. For instance, quality systems of high organisational degree often had adequate resources and administration as well as positive organisational cultures and high cooperation among different professions. </p><p>Advanced designs required quality systems of high organisational degrees. Examples of such designs were coordination between departments, random check ups, and accreditation.</p><p>The organisationally demanding quality systems had been implemented through cooperative implementation, that is, directed by managers while at the same time giving opportunities for staff to participate in planning and designing.</p><p>The results can be useful to managers, quality coordinators, and clinicians when they describe, develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of quality systems in hospital departments.</p>