Engineering education reform has been a topic of discussion for the last twenty years. The concern has only intensified in recent years as stakeholders strive to improve quality in engineering education. Today, stakeholders are recognizing that one of the keys to successful engineering education reform is in taking a systems view of higher education. Academic departments within the higher education system are organized around academic disciplines for the purpose of creating, transferring, and applying knowledge in three principal areas: teaching, research and service. This study addresses the need for quality improvement in the engineering higher education system by first completing a literature review in order to identify recurring themes on the issue. A proposed systems view is presented. The thesis builds a case for viewing students as the primary stakeholder based on stakeholder theory concepts. The application of a systems view is then used to identify the impacts of the recurring issues on the identified stakeholders of the system. Recommendations are made to address the system’s issues.

Universiẗat, Diss--Hohenheim, 2007.

The thesis explores issues relating to transformative change in the context of marine governance in the Coral Triangle, and the effects of such change processes on policy, stakeholder relations and management activities. Paper 1 studies how change-oriented actors (institutional entrepreneurs) operating at the international level can introduce and purposefully navigate large-scalechange processes. Paper 2 studies the impact of resource inequality on multi-stakeholder collaboration, and tackles the literature of boundary work so as to increase its usefulness for understanding complex, multi-level governance initiatives. Paper 3 explores how narratives about the marine environment are entwined with and influence critical aspects of marine ecosystem governance such as resource allocation, day-to-day management actions, stakeholder relations, and long-term ecological monitoring. Paper 4 investigates how actors at the local level can capture opportunities at higher institutional levels while at the same time catalyzing local potential for change by focusing on the interplay between strategies,opportunity and context. The results show that institutional entrepreneurship requires understanding of how strategies can be matched with opportunity and context, for example by offering a way for other actors to address key priorities and add value to their organizations. The results also show that behind the scene organizing is often a precondition for the introduction of transformative change. Shifting the process from an informal track to a formal track where ideas about transformative change can be deliberated among a broader set ofstakeholders is thus a major challenge. Moreover, a strong narrative is key to successfully introducing and driving transformative change. In this sense, the ability to articulate and distribute a narrative which tells a compelling story about the broader system is critical. Finally, power dynamics are constantly at play in transformation processes due to resource asymmetries. The thesis shows that differences in resources may influence the credibility, legitimacy, and salience of transformative change. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 3: In press.</p>

This thesis is focused on the objective: How can the city's transport system and land use be coordinated and stakeholder collaboration be developed, to make the proportion of environmentally sustainable shopping trips increase? Trading and transportation in the town has been developed so that consumer’s traffic dependence has increased and the elderly, children and people without cars have got poorer accessibility to basic services. The consequences in terms of increased car use is negative for environmentally sustainable development. The premise of this thesis is three questions; What knowledge is there in Sweden and internationally on travel and shopping habits? What is the individual's behavior and what determines the choice of travel mode when doing purchasing trips? How does corporations and national, regional and local public agencies coordinate their decision-making? The aim of the thesis is to analyze and discuss how trade and the transportation system can be coordinated and developed to contribute to attractive and environmentally sustainable trade structures. Given this aim it was an important focus of the thesis to study and analyze how the forms of collaboration between stakeholders can be developed A review and analysis is made of the theoretical and practical aspects of individuals' behavior and how collaboration in decision-making can be developed and enhanced. The driving forces behind the emergence of today's trading structures are analyzed as well as their ability to influence society's conditions for increased durability. The state of knowledge is reported when it comes to travel- and purchasing-habits in Sweden and internationally, as well as the observed and projected impacts on traffic and the development of sustainability. Case studies from semi-central business establishments in Nacka, Falun and Umeå with 578 interviews of consumers and nine interviews with stakeholders handling trade in the case study locations, is reported. Results from a Web Panel with 1 839 web interviews with the same issues as in the case studies, but across the country, is described. The final chapters discusses the three questions and the objective and in the final discussion is the most important points highlighted regarding the development of trade in a sustainable and attractive city. A methodology for creating a sustainable trade policy in a municipality as well as a detailed account of the current state description, case studies and web-based survey is reported in the appendices. / <p>QC 20151002</p>

I prodotti fitosanitari sono considerati uno dei principali strumenti di difesa contro le più rilevanti avversità che colpiscono la produzione agricola. Per garantire che il loro utilizzo sia realmente basato su principi di sostenibilità, nel 2009 l’Unione Europea ha introdotto la cosiddetta direttiva sull’Uso Sostenibile dei Pesticidi (EU 128/2009/EC) dove lo sviluppo di appropriati indicatori di rischio insieme all’implementazione di una corretta attività di formazione e sensibilizzazione sono da considerare fondamentali per ridurre l’esposizione. Per contribuire in questa direzione, in questo studio sono stati prodotti: a) un toolbox di pratici indicatori di rischio indiretti per essere utilizzati da parte delle autorità nazionali per monitorare le performance; b) un nuovo strumento e-learning (OpenTEA) di formazione e sensibilizzazione per raccogliere e condividere i più efficienti e consistenti materiali a disposizione. Questi contributi sono stati sviluppati utilizzando un approccio pragmatico basato sia su una consultazione degli stakeholders sia su un’analisi completa del rischio (usando dei modelli previsionali di esposizione e svolgendo un’indagine sistematica “sul campo”). Tutto è stato reso possibile grazie al coinvolgimento nelle attività nel centro di ricerca OPERA, un “think tank” che attraverso il suo approccio innovativo basato su costruire reti con gli stakeholders e ponti tra scienza e politica, permette il raggiungimento di soluzioni pragmatiche condivise. / Pesticides are considered one of the principle tools of defence against the most relevant adversity affecting the agricultural production. To ensure that their use is really based on sustainability principle, in 2009 the European Union introduced the so called Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (EU 128/2009/EC) where the establishment of appropriate risk indicators to monitor the performances together with the implementation of appropriate training and awareness raising to improve behaviours are considered fundamentals. To contribute in this direction, in this study were produced: a) a toolbox of practical indirect risk indicators to be used by EU Member States to monitor the performances; b) a new e-learning tool (OpenTEA) for training and awareness raising to collect and share the most efficient and scientifically sound training and communication material. These contributions were developed using a pragmatic approach focusing either on a complete stakeholder consultation process either on a comprehensive analysis of risk (looking at some exposure models and performing a systematic surveys “on the field”). All the process was possible getting involved in the OPERA research centre, a “think tank” that through its innovative approach based on building network among stakeholders and bridges between science and policy, allow the achievement of pragmatic and agreed solutions.

Social perspectives on natural resources management have become an increasingly valuable part of natural resources management decision making, especially at the policy or governance level. However, due to the range of social contexts that can exist around management questions, not every technique for incorporating stakeholders into management is suited for every management problem. My research examines the social landscape around chronic wasting disease (CWD) management on the Canadian prairies in order to identify a way forward for stakeholder involvement in CWD management. CWD is a prion disease that results in neurodegeneration and death in cervids. CWD has the potential for broad social impact because it infects elk and deer, species which are both hunted and ranched. Furthermore, management and monitoring efforts in free-ranging cervids frequently incorporate hunting activity. Q methodology was used to survey stakeholders in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and synthesize perspectives about stakeholder understanding of CWD as a problem and preferences for potential solutions. The perspectives that emerged emphasized the importance of increasing knowledge about CWD and a generalized trust in government management, coupled with a desire for stakeholder consultation under the auspices of government leadership. I found that CWD management may not be ready for stakeholder spearheaded management activity due to ambivalence and uncertainty among stakeholders, but stakeholder involvement in CWD management can still offer valuable insight for managers. This is especially notable in light of the recent loss of Saskatchewan’s CWD monitoring program.

The objective of this qualitative longitudinal study was to assess stakeholder perceptions after one year of a new school feeding program to contrast and compare to pre-program expectations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using questions reviewed by an in-country collaborator for cultural sensitivity and appropriateness. Follow up questions were determined from participant response. The interviews were analyzed by performing content analysis using open and axial coding to find key concepts in the data. The results showed the school feeding program met stakeholder expectations regarding reduction in absenteeism and truancy, improving classroom behavior and increasing enrollment as well as relieving short term hunger. The stakeholders also reported unexpected improvements in behavior of the child at home, increased disposable income, and extra meals being served at home.

The design of an aerospace vehicle system is a complex integration process driven by technological developments, stakeholder and mission needs, cost, and schedule. The vehicle then operates in an equally complex context, dependent on many aspects of the environment, the performance of stakeholders and the quality of the design itself. Satisfying the needs of all stakeholders is a complicated challenge for designers and engineers, and stakeholder requirements are, at times, neglected in design decisions. Thus, it is critical to examine how to better incorporate stakeholder requirements earlier and throughout the design process. The intent of this research is to (1) examine how stakeholder considerations are currently integrated into aerospace vehicle design practice and curricula, (2) design empirically-informed and theoretically-grounded educational interventions for an aerospace design capstone course, and (3) isolate the characteristics of the interventions and learning environment which support students’ integration of stakeholder considerations. The first research phase identified how stakeholder considerations are taken into account within an aerospace vehicle design firm and in current aerospace engineering design curricula. Interviews with aerospace designers revealed six conditions at the group, interaction and individual levels affecting the integration of stakeholder considerations. Examining current curricula, aerospace design education relies on quantitative measures. Thus, many students are not introduced to stakeholder considerations that are challenging to quantify. In addition, at the start of an aerospace engineering senior design capstone course, students were found to have some understanding of the customer and a few contextual considerations, but in general students did not see the impact of the broader context or of stakeholders outside of the customer. The second research phase comprised the design and evaluation of a Requirements Lab and Stakeholders in Design Labs, two in-class interventions implemented in a senior aircraft design capstone course. Further, a Stakeholders in Design rubric was developed to evaluate students’ design understanding and integration of stakeholder considerations and, as such, can be used as a summative assessment tool. The two interventions were evaluated using a multi-level framework to examine student capstone design projects, a written evaluation, and observations of students’ design team meetings. The findings demonstrated an increase in students’ awareness of a diverse group of stakeholders, but also perceptions that students appeared to only integrate stakeholder considerations in cases where interactions with stakeholders were possible and the design requirements had an explicit stakeholder focus. Particular aspects of the aircraft design learning environment such as the lack of explicit stakeholder requirements, the differences between the learning environment in the two semesters of the course, and the availability of tools impacted students’ integration of stakeholder considerations and overall effectiveness of the interventions. This research serves as a starting point for future research in pedagogical techniques and assessment methods for integrating stakeholder requirements into technology-focused design capstone courses. The results can also inform the vehicle design education of students and engineers from other disciplines.

Within the field of development, participation has become the normative approach in the past two decades. For development projects to be sustainable, the communication must be participatory in nature. For development projects to be sustainable and to actually contribute to the development of communities, communication has to be based on the participatory approach of development communication. Dialogue, empowerment that leads to independence and cultural identity are some of the most important principles of the participatory approach. The importance of communication aimed at development first became apparent during the modernisation paradigm. Modernisation is considered an evolutionary shift from a traditional view to a modern society. Development is seen as synonymous with westernization, industrialization and economic growth. Universities are under pressure from both the government and the industry to help with economic development and deliver graduates that can make a positive difference in their field of expertise (Grimaldi & Grandi, 2005). A university business incubator (UBI) is a business incubator located within a university. University business incubators facilitate and develop conditions and support systems that ensure young entrepreneurs with new ventures will function successfully. Business incubators support these entrepreneurs by giving them access to affordable facilities and resources such as secretarial support and office furniture. The focus is on providing entrepreneurs with specialised support, training and assistance, including research and development, risk capital and networking opportunities (Lalkaka, 1990:25). A UBI uses the university‟s resources, personnel‟s time and knowledge toward economic development efforts, reaping the benefits from the commercialisation of the university‟s own research (Grimaldi & Grandi, 2005; Mian, 1997). The Netherlands Initiative for Capacity development in Higher Education (NICHE) launched a programme in South Africa in February 2009. BEEHIVE (Bridging Business and Education by Establishing a Hub of Innovative Ventures and Expertise) is the university incubator of the North-West University‟s (NWU) Vaal Triangle Campus, which started with the operational phase of the programme in May 2012. The name was changed in 2011 to Bhive for marketing purposes. Against this background, the following research question was investigated: to what extent is the communication between stakeholders of the Bhive UI participatory? The researcher used a qualitative research method in order to collect the data. A literature study was conducted to explore the premises of the nature of the participatory approach in development communication for social change. Interviews with different stakeholders were conducted to determine their perceptions regarding the Bhive UI. Lastly, the researcher observed the Bhive UI over a period of two years. The research findings reveal that within the larger paradigm of heteroglossia there is room for improvement. This study pointed out the various areas for improvement and offered theoretically grounded recommendations. / MA (Communication Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Syfte: Syftet i denna studie uppkom ur vårt intresse för nyckeltalsanvändning inom ett relativt nytt område som hållbarhet. Vi läste på om hållbarhetsnyckeltal och ur denna tidigare forskning inom ämnet så blev vårt syfte att skapa en ökad förståelse kring den praktiska användningen samt nyttan med hållbarhetsnyckeltal, med avseende på TBL-modellen. Metod: Studien bygger på en kvalitativ forsningsmetod inom vilken personliga intervjuer har utförts på fem fallföretag. Intervjuerna spelades in och sedan jämfördes samt analyserades resultatet av dessa med det teoretiska ramverket inom studien.           Resultat &amp; slutsats: Studien har visat på vilken praktisk användning samt nytta hållbarhetsnyckeltal har eller skulle kunna ha för företag eller organisationer. Studien har därutöver också visat på att företag och organisationer aktivt talar om hållbarhet samt att hållbarhetsfrågor är integrerade i den dagliga verksamheten.