Micro-property developers are social entrepreneurs operating in townships and offer high quality rental units that upholds the dignity of community members. Although they are making a valuable contribution they are also faced with many challenges and the biggest being access to funds. This study looks at how impact investing, an emerging funding model can be used to address this challenge. Impact investing can be described as a cross-sectional initiative that involves the professional participation of various stakeholders; to drive social entrepreneurship to a level which can drive the socio-economic impact within communities, to create a social good that optimises financial, social and environmental returns ( Annual Impact Investor Survey, 2019). This research study seeks to explore and understand collaboration strategies that can be employed by micro-property developers in the context of South African townships. This study investigates how micro-property developers, through institutional systems and a multi-stakeholder approach can collaborate with impact investors by applying the concept of collective impact effort in township areas. Further on, this study highlights the importance of impact investing and unpacks the successes and challenges in township areas by illuminating how risk-taking, organisational values and funding contribute to corporate considerations in generating measurable, social and environment impact combined with financial return. Through relevant literature consulted and the use of in-depth interviews this study adopted a qualitative research methodology. Research participants included micro-property developers, impact investors and intermediaries. The research findings indicate that in the corporate ambit of social entrepreneurship and impact investing; variables such as income, risks, impact measurement, the situated area of human settlement and investor readiness are key considerations in the successful acquisition of funding opportunities. In addition, although impact investment in township areas is still an untapped market in South Africa, community leadership and partners should equally advocate the need of inclusion and innovation to steer sustainable impact investment opportunities in such communities. This study suggests that impact investors and funders should work toward cross-sectional initiatives that are scalable and inclusive, and that can create a positive impact in township communities. This study also recommends that a level of deeper knowledge is required through informed research, to understand the value and the impact of impact investments in township areas. This way, scientific data can override all stereotypical notions linked to township investments, as stigmas of crime and risks still hinder investment opportunities in townships compared to their urban counterparts.

Denna studie syftar till att belysa faktorer som bidrager till att soldater avslutar sin värnplikt i förtid. Det finns faktorer som kan justeras/förfinas redan innan mönstring. Studien visar att soldaten är en komplex helhet.  Rubbas någon av de förutsättningar som beskrivs i studien ökar sannolikheten att soldaten blir en avgång. Felaktig uttagning eller för lågt satta uttagningskriterier ökar sannolikheten för att soldaterna slutar i förtid.  Soldaterna behöver tydlig information om vad som förväntas av dem samt information till anhöriga. Få har genomfört värnplikt under den period som soldaterna har växt upp i och därmed har inte kunskap spridits i tillräcklig mån i samhället om vad värnplikt innebär. De som inte hinner med att göra en mental omställning till den militära kulturen i den takt som krävs, hamnar lätt i utanförskap. Likaså hamnar de individer som varit sjuka eller skadade och därmed varit frånvarande i den militära utbildningen utanför den kollektiva gemenskapen. I militär kultur är gruppen central och den sociala samhörigheten en av de viktigaste krafterna.  Starkt präglade individualister får det svårare att ta sig in gemenskapen. Olyckor, skador och sjukdomar samt oförutsedda händelser i privatlivet kan leda till att soldater slutar i förtid.

I Sverige idag satsas det allt mer på att bygga hållbara städer, det vill säga mer hållbar stadsutveckling. Hållbarhet har historiskt delats in i tre olika delar: ekonomi, miljö och sociala aspekter. Det finns inte någon allmänt erkänd definition av begreppet social hållbarhet och därför behöver det utforskas. Det finns också en juridisk rättviseaspekt i att skapa klarhet i begreppet, för att minska risken för att det i senare skeden ska råda tvist om vad avtalen innebär. I och med oklarheten runt begreppet kan det uppstå informationsasymmetri dels mellan kommunerna och byggherrarna dels mellan byggherrarna. I sammanhanget markanvisningar behövs tydlighet för att parterna tillsammans ska kunna sträva mot det gemensamma målet – hållbar stadsutveckling.Det övergripande syftet med denna studie är att tydliggöra för kommun och byggherre hur de genom rättvisa markanvisningstävlingar kan bidra till social hållbarhet i stadsutveckling. Målet är att, genom analys av markanvisningstävlingar, redogöra för hur kommuner uttryckt och använt begreppet social hållbarhet samt hur urval av inkomna bidrag i markanvisningstävlingar inom stadsutvecklingsprojekt har gjorts.Denna studie utfördes med deskriptiv metod med tre olika tillvägagångssätt: dokumentgranskning av handlingar, djupdykande semistrukturerad intervju samt textintervjuer med kommuner. Stadsutvecklingsprojekten som undersöktes var Skeppsbron i Göteborg, Kolkajen del 2 i Stockholm, Nya gatan i Nacka och Vallastaden i Linköping.Resultatet från denna studie tyder på att inga betydande insatser har gjorts för att tydliggöra vad begreppet innebär, även i de undersökta kommunerna som gjort tydliga satsningar på social hållbarhet. Istället arbetar kommunerna idag med unika lösningar för varje projekt. De har ingen enhetlig hantering eller definition av begreppet social hållbarhet i stadsutveckling. En slutsats som kan dras är att tydligt utformade modeller som är flexibla och lämnar utrymme för innovation och kreativitet skulle troligtvis underlätta kommunernas arbete. Modellerna skulle möjliggöra för kommunerna att hålla tydliga, rättvisa och transparenta markanvisningstävlingar där byggherrar tävlar under samma förutsättningar. / The Swedish planning and construction market have been investing more in developing sustainable cities, that is, more sustainable urban development. Sustainability has historically been divided into three different parts: economical, environmental and social aspects. Today, there is no generally accepted definition of the concept of social sustainability and therefore the concept needs to be further explored. There is also a legal justice aspect in creating clarity of the concept, in order to reduce the risks that there will be disputes about what the agreements entail. With the ambiguity around the concept, information asymmetry can arise between municipalities and the property developers, and between the property developers. In the context of municipal land allocations, clarity is needed for the parties to be able to work together towards the common goal – sustainable urban development.The overall purpose of this study is to clarify to municipalities and property developers how they can contribute to social sustainability in urban development, through fair land allocation competitions. The aim of this study is to, through analysis of land allocation competitions, describe how municipalities express and use the concept of social sustainability, as well as describe how they make selections and assesses entries in land allocation competitions in urban development projects.The study was carried out with a descriptive method with three different approaches: documentary review, in-depth semi-structured interview and text interviews with municipalities. The urban development projects examined were Skeppsbron in Gothenburg, Kolkajen part 2 in Stockholm, Nya gatan in Nacka and Vallastaden in Linköping. The result of this study indicates that no significant efforts have been made to clarify the concept social sustainability in urban development projects, even in the investigated municipalities that have made expressed attempts to achieve socially sustainable development projects. Instead, the municipalities work with unique conditions and solutions in each of their projects. They have no uniform management or definition of the concept social sustainability in urban development. One conclusion that can be drawn is also that clearly designed models that are dynamic and leave room for innovation and creativity would probably ease the management and incorporation of sustainability in the municipalities. These proposed models would enable the municipalities to host clear, fair and transparent land allocation competitions where property developers can compete within the same conditions.

The Health Sector at the state of Kuwait is facing many challenges. One of which is public expectations in health are high, and thus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Kuwait has amplified the health expenditure by 86% since 2007. And since the medicine budget represents half of the total MOH budget, it is proposed that the development in health policy might be a suitable tool to control the inflation within the health budget. This thesis examines the opportunities and challenges of introducing an EML in Kuwait and the factors influencing its effectiveness. A mixed-methodology approach has been used to enhance and validate the data, in the form of interviews, comparative studies and questionnaires. One major limitation to the research was the lack of previous data relating to this work, and the information should be gathered in person in the form of hard copies, and later, the data was analysed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. It has been attained that, the EML might be a valuable tool if adopted and implemented appropriately, EML adjustment to country health situation is crucial for successful utilisation and fulfilling the concept objectives. Standard Treatment Guidelines are fundamental part of EM selection process, in Kuwait there were lack in the uniformity of the local STG, but fortunately, there is an eagerness to innovate, and the medicine situation might benefit from a type of organisation, overall, if the EML implemented efficiently in Kuwait, it might help in improving the general health and control the inflation in MOH budget.

<p dir="ltr">Acoustic guitar soundboard material selection is based on selective evaluations that have been developed over centuries. These traditional practices are not conducive to the guitar industry we experience today because the supply of traditionally acceptable soundboard wood has decreased greatly. The purpose of this research was to develop an objective wood selection metric to determine the sound quality of an acoustic guitar’s soundboard. The metric would replace the subjective evaluations traditionally used to select materials for acoustic guitar soundboards.</p><p dir="ltr">The acoustic properties of sound radiation coefficient, material’s speed of sound, resonance and damping and the material properties of longitudinal and radial elastic modulus, density, and specific modulus were used in an attempt to construct a material selection metric. These variables were selected because the literature review revealed that these were the most critical variables in determining sound quality. The gaps in the literature were testing and analyzing samples that represented the true dimensions of an acoustic guitar soundboard blank and forming the metric. The literature revealed that the previous experimental studies did not have the appropriate test sample dimensions that correspond to the test samples evaluated by the subjective methods.</p><p dir="ltr">The methodology was carried out by using the objective testing counterparts to the subjective assessments found in the literature review. Instrumented hammer tap testing collected data to determine damping and resonance frequencies. A three-point static bending test collected data for longitudinal and radial elastic modulus. Mass and dimension measurements were recorded to calculate density. Calculations were done to compute the acoustic properties and specific modulus of the test samples. These variables were put into a table and underwent statistical analysis in the form of predictor correlation and logistical regression. The experimental variables were modeled against the subjective evaluation of an expert on the usability of the test samples.</p><p dir="ltr">Statistical analysis proved that the dataset did not show any significant separation between “good” or “bad” test samples or a significant correlation between the usability of the test sample and the variables in the dataset. The methodology did not produce an objective material selection metric to determine the sound quality of an acoustic guitar’s soundboard. Future research should include a wider range of measured frequencies and the collection of time domain data.</p>

Nursing colleges face a high failure rate among first and second year nursing students. Appropriate selection criteria should help to recruit and select the best suitable candidates who will endure the requirements of the comprehensive four-year nursing diploma course and finally graduate. The input should be equal to the throughput. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the extent to which selection criteria were a determinant or predictive factor of nursing students’ academic performance and success at a nursing colleges in Gauteng Province. A triangulated research design method was used for data collection, presentation, and analysis. The research population consisted of first and second year student nurses registered in public nursing college. Random sampling was opted for at the nursing college selected as research site. During the empirical phase in 2015, 280 questionnaires were distributed. The findings of the study indicated that there is a weak linear relation between academic qualification and academic performance, yet further analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between Bachelor’s degree holders and their academic achievement when admitted at nursing colleges. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The selection of science fiction was researched to determine how science fiction should be evaluated and selected in the context of the public library. The first sub-problem to be researched concerned the cultural, societal and literary origins of this genre, after which its distinct phases of development were studied as well as the characteristic essence of science fiction which would affect its selection per se, specifically whether conventional literary criteria are suitable for the evaluation of items of science fiction during selection. The next sub-problem focused on, was whether theory can explain the process of fiction selection, The succeeding sub-problem was to empirically Study current practice in science fiction selection. Survey research was conducted amongst selected major urban/regional public library services in the USA. Final research results indicated that science fiction is a sophisticated, multi-textured genre which differs significantly from fellow popular genres, Science fiction is viewed by some critics as being on the cusp of post-modernism, a significant body of work in contemporary literature, and a supreme expression of late capitalism. Research further showed that no satisfactory evaluative criteria exist. It was also established that theory of fiction selection is not always capable of explaining or guiding the process of fiction selection. There is no model for the selection of science fiction. Finn guiding principles for science fiction selection could be formulated by the aid of this study. The study concluded with a specially-designed model for the selection of science fiction (including a scorecard with specially-compiled criteria for evaluating items), as well as a suggested core collection. A structured approach should be followed by the science fiction selector. The guiding principles and core collection which were formulated in this study, the set of special criteria as well as the model, together demonstrate that the selection of science fiction can be structured, controlled and guided within established parameters. / Information Science / D. Lit. et Phil. (Information Science)

Background: In a larger picture, companies are hiring third party logistics operators who have the task to manage all or part of logistics operations such as storage, transport and packaging. The case company strives to constantly improve in order to get a better understanding of the requirements in connection with procurement. More and more demands are placed on the corporates responsibility along with the procurement. Corporate social responsibility describes a company’s responsibility judging by three dimensions: Ecologic, economic and social. Purpose: The purpose is to decide from a corporate social responsibility perspective which demands are meaningful while purchasing logistic services from a third party logistics operator. Method: This study is a case study at a third party logistics operator. The study is built upon an abductive research approach and the results are collected through semi- structured interviews with the company along with the three potential customers. This theoretical referencing is built from scientific article, books and websites. Conclusion: The amount of requirements put on a third party logistics operator from an economical responsibility perspective is twice as much with ecological responsibility perspective. The least demands is required by social responsibility. The operator’s price and quality on the service, correctly maintained goods, withholding of vehicles, ability to communicate electronically and localizing are the requirements that are made from the economical responsibilities perspective. Fuel usage and environmental class vehicles and that the operator has an environmental goal are required by ecological responsibilities perspective. The social responsibilities perspective requires long-term collaboration and fair working conditions. This study has contributed knowledge about the requirements by corporate social responsibilities three dimensions and how they affect third party logistics operator. / Bakgrund: I en allt större utsträckning anlitar företag tredjepartslogistik-aktörer som har till uppgift att sköta hela eller delar av logistikverksamheten som lagring, transportering och paketering. Fallföretaget, som är en tredjepartslogistik-aktör, strävar efter att ständigt förbättras för att få en ökad förståelse för de krav som ställs i samband med upphandling. Allt fler krav ställs på företags ansvarstagande i samband med upphandling. Corporate social responsibility beskriver ett företags ansvarstagande utifrån tre dimensioner: ekologiskt, ekonomiskt och socialt. Syfte: Syftet är att utifrån corporate social responsibility utforska vilka krav som är betydelsefulla vid inköp av logistiktjänster från en tredjepartslogistik-aktör. Metod: Denna studie är en fallstudie hos en tredjepartslogistik-aktör. Studien bygger på en abduktiv forskningsansats och resultatet är insamlat genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fallföretaget samt tre potentiella kunderna. Den teoretiska referensramen är uppbyggd utifrån vetenskapliga artiklar, böcker och hemsidor. Slutsats: Antalet ställda krav på en tredjepartslogistik-aktör utifrån ekonomiskt ansvarstagande är dubbelt så många jämfört med ekologiskt ansvarstagande. Minst krav ställs utifrån socialt ansvarstagande. Aktörens pris och kvalitet på tjänsten, korrekt hantering av gods, underhåll av fordon, förmåga att kommunicera elektroniskt och lokalisering är krav som ställs utifrån ett ekonomiskt ansvarstagande. Bränsleval och miljöklass på fordon samt att aktören har ett miljömål är krav som ställs utifrån ett ekologiskt ansvarstagande. Långsiktigt samarbete och rättvisa arbetsvillkor är krav som ställs utifrån socialt ansvarstagande. Denna studie har bidragit med kunskap angående ställda krav utifrån corporate social responsibility:s tre dimensioner och hur de påverkar valet av tredjepartslogistik-aktör.

Submitted by Franciele Moreira (francielemoreyra@gmail.com) on 2018-03-29T12:30:01Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo dos Santos Ventura - 2018.pdf: 4739813 bytes, checksum: 52211670f6e17c893ffd08843056f075 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-03-29T13:40:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo dos Santos Ventura - 2018.pdf: 4739813 bytes, checksum: 52211670f6e17c893ffd08843056f075 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-29T13:40:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo dos Santos Ventura - 2018.pdf: 4739813 bytes, checksum: 52211670f6e17c893ffd08843056f075 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / This work deals with two Monte Carlo simulation studies in log-symmetric regression models, which are particularly useful for the cases when the response variable is continuous, strictly positive and asymmetric, with the possibility of the existence of atypical observations. In log- symmetric regression models, the distribution of the random errors multiplicative belongs to the log-symmetric class, which encompasses log-normal, log- Student-t, log-power- exponential, log-slash, log-hyperbolic distributions, among others. The first simulation study has as objective to examine the performance for the maximum-likelihood estimators of the model parameters, where various scenarios are considered. The objective of the second simulation study is to investigate the accuracy of popular information criteria as AIC, BIC, HQIC and their respective corrected versions. As illustration, a movie data set obtained and assembled for this dissertation is analyzed to compare log-symmetric models with the normal linear model and to obtain the best model by using the mentioned information criteria. / Este trabalho aborda dois estudos de simulação de Monte Carlo em modelos de regressão log- simétricos, os quais são particularmente úteis para os casos em que a variável resposta é contínua, estritamente positiva e assimétrica, com possibilidade da existência de observações atípicas. Nos modelos de regressão log-simétricos, a distribuição dos erros aleatórios multiplicativos pertence à classe log-simétrica, a qual engloba as distribuições log-normal, log-Student- t, log-exponencial- potência, log-slash, log-hyperbólica, entre outras. O primeiro estudo de simulação tem como objetivo examinar o desempenho dos estimadores de máxima verossimilhança desses modelos, onde vários cenários são considerados. No segundo estudo de simulação o objetivo é investigar a eficácia critérios de informação populares como AIC, BIC, HQIC e suas respectivas versões corrigidas. Como ilustração, um conjunto de dados de filmes obtido e montado para essa dissertação é analisado para comparar os modelos de regressão log-simétricos com o modelo linear normal e para obter o melhor modelo utilizando os critérios de informação mencionados.

Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die retrospektive Beurteilung der Sicherheit und Effektivität der Leberteilresektion bei der Behandlung von Lebermetastasen des kolorektalen Karzinoms sowie der Re-Resektion bei Patienten mit Rezidivlebermetastasen. Weiterhin soll das operative Vorgehen bei synchronen Lebermetastasen hinsichtlich simultaner Resektionsverfahren und zweizeitigen Vorgehens untersucht werden. Insgesamt wurden die Ergebnisse von 660 Patienten ausgewertet, die zwischen 1988 und 2004 mit 685 Leberteilresektionen behandelt wurden. Unter diesen waren 75 Patienten, die eine Re-Resektion erhielten sowie 202 Patienten, bei denen die Lebermetastasen synchron auftraten. Neben der Analyse der postoperativen Letalität und postoperativen Komplikationen sollen prognostische Faktoren für das Langzeitüberleben und das Auftreten von Tumorrezidiven nach Leberteilresektion identifiziert werden. Da sich die Studienpopulation aus einem Zeitraum von über 15 Jahren rekrutiert, sollen außerdem verschiedene Zeitabschnitte vergleichend analysiert werden. Die Leberteilresektion ist derzeit die einzige potentiell kurative Therapie bei kolorektalen Lebermetastasen. Als prognostisch günstige Parameter in der multivariaten Analyse zeigten sich die Radikalität des Eingriffes, die Anzahl der Metastasen, vorhandene ligamentäre Lymph-knotenmetastasen sowie das Jahr der Resektion. Auch bei Rezidiven kolorektaler Lebermetastasen ist das chirurgische Vorgehen derzeit die einzige kurative Intervention. Re-Resektionen weisen ein vergleichbares operatives Risiko und vergleichbare Langzeitüberlebensraten auf wie Erstresektionen. Als einziger prognostischer Parameter für das Langzeitüberleben erwies sich in der multivariaten Analyse die Radikalität des Eingriffes. Bei synchronen Lebermetastasen sind die wichtigsten Kriterien, um eine simultane Resektion durchzuführen, die Berücksichtigung des Alters sowie des Resektionsausmaßes. Simultane Resektionen sind bei synchronen kolorektalen Lebermetastasen dann so sicher und effizient durchführbar wie Resektionen im zweizeitigen Vorgehen.