Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: School of Business. Bibliography: leaves 139-169. Also available online via the Internet.

Thesis (MInt (Prof)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas Woman's University, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-110). Also available in electronic version.

<p>This study aimed to characterize the impact of treatment infrastructure upgrades on the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) discharged by a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and their subsequent effects on fish endocrine function. This site has been evaluated before and after two major upgrades in wastewater treatment infrastructure, which were implemented in 2007 and 2012. Our study assessed the potential impacts on the Boulder Creek receiving water, as well as identified and evaluated the extent of estrogenic endocrine disruption in the native fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) that may be occurring after the implementation of the 2012 upgrade. We conducted an integrative, 8-week, on-site, continuous-flow, exposure experiment using adult male fathead minnows to assess in vivo estrogenicity of the WWTP effluent water, relative to reference water and results from prior years (both pre- and post-upgrade). We collected data for a wide array of biological endpoints. Results for plasma vitellogenin concentrations and sperm development were emphasized. It was found that in vivo effluent estrogenicity following the 2012 upgrade was insignificant in comparison to pre-upgrade levels. However, the occurrence of an extreme flood event in the Boulder area resulted in the detection of some significant effluent estrogenicity, indicating that such conditions may impact the ability of WWTPs to effectively remove estrogenic EDCs from the effluent.

<p> Today billions of people live without access to basic sanitation facilities, and thousands die every week due to diseases caused by fecal contamination associated with improper sanitation. It has thus become crucial for decision makers to have access to relevant and sufficient data to implement appropriate solutions to these problems. The Global Water Pathogen Project <u> http://www.waterpathogens.org/</u> is dedicated to providing an up-to-date source of data on pathogen reduction associated with different sanitation technologies that are important if the world is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health and sanitation provision. In this research, a subset of the Global Water Pathogen Project (GWPP) data is used to access the reduction of bacteria and viruses across different mechanical and natural sanitation technologies. The order of expected removal for bacteria during wastewater treatment was reported as highest for a membrane bioreactor (4.4 log10), waste stabilization pond (2.3 log10), conventional activated sludge (1.43 log10), anaerobic anoxic oxic activated sludge (1.9 log10), trickling filter (1.16 log10), and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (1.2 log10). </p><p> Furthermore, the order of expected removal for viruses was reported as highest for a membrane bioreactor (3.3 log10), conventional activated sludge (1.84 log10), anaerobic anoxic oxic activated sludge (1.67 log10), waste stabilization pond (1 log10), upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (0.3 log10) and trickling filter (0.29 log10). It was found that hydraulic retention time (HRT) had a statistically significant relation to the reduction of bacteria in an anaerobic, anoxic oxic treatment system. Similarly, a significant relation was found between the number of waste stabilization ponds in series and the expected reduction of bacteria. HRT was also found to be a significant factor in virus reduction in waste stabilization ponds. Additionally, it was observed that waste stabilization ponds, trickling filters, and UASB reactors could obtain a greater reduction in bacteria (5&ndash;7 log10) when combined with additional treatment (e.g., chemical disinfection or use of maturation ponds). Also, mechanized systems, such as activated sludge systems and membrane bioreactors, obtained a greater reduction (2&ndash;3 log10) of viruses when compared to a natural system. It was concluded that the selection of the best suitable technology for pathogen reduction depends on environmental, design, and operational factors as well as considering the performance of specific wastewater treatment systems individually as well as when combined with other treatment technologies that may provide added removal of microbial constituents. </p><p>

<p> This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of 13 active mediators who conduct mediations between individuals of differing collectives (race, gender, age, religion, etc.). These mediators were volunteers, human resource professionals, or other external professionals utilized to assist in resolving workplace conflicts. They offered experience in corporate environments, state and federal government, school systems, and the community. </p><p> Study participants met the following criteria: (1) successfully completed the 40-hour mediation training; (2) conducted a minimum of 30 mediations over the past five years; (3) conducted a minimum of 10 diversity related mediations; and (4) experience with workplace conflicts.</p><p> As a phenomenological study, interviews were the method of data gathering. Following Merriam and Tisdale&rsquo;s (2016) interview structure continuum, data gathering occurred in two stages: highly structured/standardized and unstructured/informal. The first stage assessed the mediator&rsquo;s appropriateness for the study. The questions focused on the mediator&rsquo;s recent experience with conducting workplace and EEO mediations. The second stage was the detailed interview used to build an understanding of the lived experiences. Questions asked led to the understanding of the lived experiences of the mediators thereby supporting the research question.</p><p> Five conclusions emerged from the results of this study. (1) Communication that is poor or lacking is a major source of conflict. (2) Environmental changes have increased workplace diversity leading to more conflict. (3) Perceptions of fairness by authority and senior staff leading to conflict. (4) Parties who volunteer for mediation are more successful. (5) Mediators and the mediation process are not completely neutral.</p><p> Implications for theory are: the strengthening of the social identity literature by specifically identifying sources of conflict; expansion of the literature that explains the role management plays in conflict escalations; introduces a hybrid mediation style; and the expansion of trait theory literature by identifying which traits are prone to conflict. Recommendations for practice are workplace initiatives focusing on diversity and interpersonal skills; incremental training for mediators to ensure mediators practice in the spirit of neutrality; encouraging organizations to implement mediations for all conflicts prior to escalation of workplace chaos; and emphasizing the minimization of legal advice by licensed attorneys during mediations.</p><p>

<p> With operations involving global interindividual interactions and strategic organizational change, organizations face a human resource problem. Today, human resources departments seek individuals capable of interacting across and beyond sociocultural boundaries and sometimes in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous settings. The literature has identified that organizations underutilize a specific pool of employees with extensive international life-work experience. This study was designed to explore the phenomenon of the <i> transcultural individual</i> from a humanistic perspective. To be a transcultural individual is to have successfully integrated two or more cultures into their worldview. The study also examined transculturality, designating transcultural traits or characteristics, as a positive attribute to being an <i>agent of change</i> in the workplace. Three underlying premises drove this study: first, human relations are malleable; second, transcultural individuals are naturals in interindividual intercultural interactions; and third, change is continuous. </p><p> The study population included five women and four men located in Washington, D.C., and Paris, France. The study used a qualitative interpretive inquiry design and a transdisciplinary theoretical framework to explore the nine life stories. Semistructured interviews provided rich and thick descriptions for analysis. The results were threefold: the participants transcended their inherited culture to attain a degree of cultural freedom; a transcultural life lessens angst in the face of change; and self-perception of being a manager and/or leader of change seems normal to the participants. </p><p> The findings uncovered the transcultural life experience as a way of being and a way of knowing the world. Moreover, being transcultrual, from a human development and an existential transformative process, appears to predispose individuals to being proactive agents of change in the workplace. This study highlighted the positive humanistic perspectives, derived from being a transcultural individual, that organizations need from individuals with relevant knowledge to address cross-cultural challenges and complexified work settings due to a continuous state of change. The study also revealed a perception of change to be related to individuals&rsquo; prior life experiences with change, including emotional behaviors and coping mechanisms developed under such circumstances. Unforeseeably, conversations exposed personal the presence and role of temporalities in relation to personal perceptions of time in relation to change.change when revisiting and recollecting memories. In conclusion, recommendations for transcultural individuals and organizations are derived, and further research is suggested.</p><p>

M.Bibl. / Information is increasingly recognised and managed as a resource. In any organisation it contribute directly to the performance of all functions. The purpose of this study was to use Burk and Horton's methodology to conduct an information audit to an assurance enterprise to identify the company's strategic information. This was to prove the importance of information as a corporate resource for competitive advantage. A literature study was undertaken as well as an overview of the method and results of an information audit. The information audit was only done for the library and the law administration department. The literature study gave the necessary overview of the information audit method, but the empirical investigation provided the value of the information. Information was collected on three different forms. The first was the inventory which was divided in three sections: sources, services and systems. The second form was the file surrogate card, which contained all the information of the law files. The third form was a questionnaire to establish the information needs of the users as well as the availability of the information they need to fulfil their tasks. The information flow was also monitored in the company. Although the "lnfoMap" -method of Burk and Horton was used, it was discovered that this method had several shortcomings regarding the practical application, such as the calculation of the monetary value of the information. After an analysis of the research results it is evident from the shortcomings and needs that have come to light regarding the management, objectives, use, value and cost of information assets that it is necessary to formulates an information policy and that the conclusion can be drawn that the information audit provides meaningful data that can serve as the starting point for developing a formal information management plan for this insurance company.

M. Inf. / Enterprises are becoming more dependent on information than ever before and, in this new millennium, the survival and success of these enterprises will highly depend on the ability to manage information as a resource for competitive advantage. This study is concerned with establishing the extent to which information management is practiced in financial institutions in Botswana. The main problem under investigation is the importance of information management within an enterprise and to ascertain how information can ensure competitive advantage in an enterprise. In the first four chapters, a literature survey is done to get a better understanding of what information management is and how information management can transform business and how information management can be used as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The second part of the study is the empirical survey where qualitative research was conducted on financial institutions in Botswana, including commercial banks and insurance companies. The aim of the research was to determine the status of information management in these institutions as well as to investigate what people generally understand the concept information management- to mean. It was further investigated if at all information management was an issue in the enterprise culture of Botswana and if the concerned institutions regard information management as a source for competitive advantage. Structured interviews were conducted with top management in ten business institutions. The data obtained from the interviews was analysed and interpreted according to the grounded theory. The findings of the research revealed that information management, as a formalised concept, is fairly new to most business enterprise managers, and that there is no common understanding of the concept. It is however evident that most business managers accept the fact that information management is a necessary condition for ensuring the sustainability of their business enterprises. Most of them acknowledged that information is very critical for the survival of the business and for staying ahead of others. It is recommended that enterprises should adopt a holistic approach towards information management. Business enterprises should employ people with proper information management skills and trained personnel in this area.