This study aims to measure the managerial skills of managers working in the banking industry. To do so, the newly developed managerial skills measuring instrument of Thekiso (2011) was used by to determine skills for managerial competence in the banking industry. The seven managerial skills that are covered in the questionnaire are: Self awareness skills; Self directed career planning; Integrative skills; Planning and controlling skills; Organizing skills; Leading skills; and Managing change skills. Even though some skills may appear on a less frequent basis, six of the seven skills were rated to be of a high importance, with their means ranging between 4.008 and 4.480 on the 5–point Likert scale. Training in the form of mentoring and stewardship programs, to transfer knowledge and introduce existing relationships to up and coming leaders, would be of great value for companies in the banking industry to foster these seven managerial competency skills. By implementing training and mentoring programs on a much broader scale, organisations can train and use their leaders’ abilities to gain competitive advantage in the market. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This study aims to measure the managerial skills of managers working in the banking industry. To do so, the newly developed managerial skills measuring instrument of Thekiso (2011) was used by to determine skills for managerial competence in the banking industry. The seven managerial skills that are covered in the questionnaire are: Self awareness skills; Self directed career planning; Integrative skills; Planning and controlling skills; Organizing skills; Leading skills; and Managing change skills. Even though some skills may appear on a less frequent basis, six of the seven skills were rated to be of a high importance, with their means ranging between 4.008 and 4.480 on the 5–point Likert scale. Training in the form of mentoring and stewardship programs, to transfer knowledge and introduce existing relationships to up and coming leaders, would be of great value for companies in the banking industry to foster these seven managerial competency skills. By implementing training and mentoring programs on a much broader scale, organisations can train and use their leaders’ abilities to gain competitive advantage in the market. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Objective: To study awareness of cognitive dysfunction in patients with very mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: A complaint interview covering 13 cognitive domains was administered to 82 AD and 79 MCI patients and their caregivers. The patient groups were comparable according to age and education, and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were ≥24 in all cases. The discrepancy between the patients’ and caregivers’ estimations of impairments was taken as a measure of anosognosia. Results: Self-reports of cognitive difficulties were comparable for AD and MCI patients. However, while in comparison to caregivers MCI patients reported significantly more cognitive impairment (p < 0.05), AD patients complained significantly less cognitive dysfunctions (p < 0.001). Conclusions: While most MCI patients tend to overestimate cognitive deficits when compared to their caregiver’s assessment, AD patients in early stages of disease underestimate cognitive dysfunctions. Anosognosia can thus be regarded as a characteristic symptom at a stage of very mild AD (MMSE ≥24) but not MCI. Accordingly, medical history even in mildly affected patients should always include information from both patient and caregiver. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Across North America concerns have been raised about the social, emotional, and mental health of our youth. Many primary prevention programs have been proposed to address these issues, however, few have met the criteria for effective interventions, including being longitudinal, cross-curricular, emphasizing specific concepts and skills, and being within the skills and understandings of teachers and the school system at large (McCombs, 2004). The Respecting Diversity (RD) program is a social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention designed by teachers that uses a Multiple Intelligences (MI) framework to develop self-awareness, self-respect and respect for diverse others. It teaches skills such as goal setting, meta-cognition, and perspective taking that underlie SEL. The program is designed to develop, a safe, positive classroom climate to begin the school year, and facilitate social and academic learning. The study herein was intended to explore emotional and behavioral outcomes of the RD program. The study involved 218 intermediate (grades 4-7) students and their teachers, divided into intervention and control groups. Students were assessed pre and post intervention for the development of self-awareness, self-respect, awareness of others, and respect for others. Measures of classroom climate were also included. Students completed several measures of SEL, and a selected sample were interviewed to obtain detailed information about their experiences in inclusive diverse classrooms, and with the RD program itself. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including thematic content analysis procedures and repeated measures MANCOVA’s. Both students and teachers indicated that the RD program significantly increased students’ self-respect, awareness of others, and respect for others, while students in control classrooms decreased in these factors. Classroom climate also significantly improved for treatment classrooms, and, similarly, decreased in control classrooms. Results are discussed in terms of their educational implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research.

Previous research has shown that cognitive deficits arising from neurological impairment can impact on driving performance. The diverse nature of cognitive, perceptual and behavioural impairments experienced by drivers with neurological impairment and the resulting impact on driving ability has been the subject of extensive research involving the use of psychometric off-road measures, road safety statistics, actual on-road driving assessments and self-report. This research has shown that some drivers can compensate for limitations in their driving skills but this is dependent upon realistic self-appraisal of driving abilities. Few studies have investigated the role of self-awareness of driving abilities on on-road driving performance in persons with neurological impairment. Aims: To investigate the relationship between self-awareness of driving related abilities in neurologically impaired drivers and on-road driving performance. Participants: Retrospective data were collated on 79 participants who were referred for Occupational Therapy driving assessment, comprising 24 with Closed Head Injury (CHI) (mean age 24.67 + 5.57 yrs), 30 with Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) (mean age 61.00 + 9.08 yrs) and 25 with 'Other' diagnosis (mean age 50.64 + 21.14 yrs). All participants held a current driver's licence or learner's permit Results: Five predictor variables were significantly associated with the on-road driving assessment outcome including three demographic variables:- diagnosis (2(2)= 7.69, p = 0.021), time since injury/illness onset (2(2)= 6.40, p = 0.041), and mileage (2(2)= 5.84, p = 0.05); and two self-awareness variables:- reaction time (2(2)= 8.04, p = 0.018), and impulse control (2(2)= 13.47, p = 0.001). Logistic regression yielded a final best model containing two predictor variables (2(4) = 20.81, p = 0.000), including diagnosis (p = 0.02) and self-awareness of impulse control (p = 0.01). Discussion and Conclusion: Participants who over-estimated their driving abilities were more likely to fail a driving assessment or require driving rehabilitation than participants who under-estimated or accurately predicted their performance and participants with a diagnosis of CVA were more likely to fail or require driving rehabilitation than those with a CHI or 'Other' diagnosis.

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Family Studies and Social Work, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-27).

The aim of this work is to explore the printed Hawaii shirt through material investigations in search of new print meetings. A vital step for this investigation was to develop the classic Hawaii- prints and motives in mixed media. Followed by exploring alternative printing techniques such as transfer printing, laser cutting and knitting in different materials to reach new expressions yet keeping a clear reference to the Hawaii shirt. The intention of this work was to investigate how the Hawaii shirt with its classic print could interact with the mind and body of the wearer. Furthermore, to question the informal rules of wearing a Hawaii shirt with a starting point in Umberto Eco’s theories about epidemic self-awareness. The motive of this work is to critically look at the society today, with a focus on consumerism, foreign travel and tourism and the expression of it, with the Hawaii shirt as a symbol of these things. Based on the assumption of the Hawaii shirt being a tacky souvenir that tourists bring back home from their holidays. This work show new expressions of the printed Hawaii shirt through innovative print meetings. This work also proposes alternative ways of wearing a Hawaii Shirt.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how professional career counselors look at the concepts self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side; “what happens underneath the surface of a conversation”. Furthermore, if they believed that this was something that was highlighted as important during their education and if they have the necessary tools for self-reflection. I also wanted to find out if they spent time self-reflecting in their daily work, and if so, in what way. The study has resulted in the following questions: How do career counselors argue about the concept of self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side of a conversation? How do career counselors view the importance of reflecting? What role does self-reflection play for the career counselors in their daily work?  In order to answer these questions, I have used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews. These in-depth interviews have been performed with professional career counselors in the municipality of Gothenburg. The collected data has then been analyzed, with previous research as a theoretical starting point. The result of the study illustrates the views of these three professional career counselors on the concepts; self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side; “what happens underneath the surface of a conversation”. The study found that self-reflection is a central part of the work for all three career counselors. The three counselors believe self-reflection is a prerequisite for self-awareness. They also believe that in order to be a good career counselor, it is important to be aware of yourself and your behavior. Taking time to reflect and to get to know yourself also helped develop their professional roles. The professional development of self-reflection was beneficial for both themselves and their students. The result also shows that an encouraging and positive attitude is required for self-reflection to be part of the work. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur verksamma studie- och yrkesvägledare ser på begreppen självreflektion, självkännedom och skuggsidan, det som händer under ytan i ett samtal. Vidare om de upplever att detta var något som lyftes fram som viktigt under deras utbildning och om de upplever sig ha redskap för att själva kunna reflektera. Jag vill också ta reda på om de ägnar tid åt självreflektion och på vilket sätt i sitt arbete. Studiens syfte har utmynnat i följande frågeställningar: Hur resonerar studie- och yrkesvägledare kring begreppet självreflektion, självkännedom och skuggsidan av ett samtal? Hur ser studie- och yrkesvägledare på vikten av att reflektera? Vilken roll spelar självreflektion i studie- och yrkesvägledarnas yrkesutövande? För att besvara mitt syfte och frågeställningar har jag använt mig en kvalitativ metod med djupintervjuer. Dessa djupintervjuer har gjorts med verksamma studie- och yrkesvägledare i Göteborgs kommun. Empirin har sedan analyserats med tidigare forskning som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Resultatet av studien belyser dessa tre verksamma studie- och yrkesvägledares syn på begreppen; självreflektion, självkännedom och skuggsidan; ”det som händer under ytan i ett samtal”. I studien har det framkommit att självreflektion är en central del av arbetet för de tre studie- och yrkesvägledare som intervjuats. Dessa vägledare menar att självreflektion är en förutsättning för självkännedom. Att ha god självkännedom anser de är avgörande för att vara en bra vägledare. Att ägna tid åt att reflektera och lära känna sig själv leder också till att de utvecklas i sin yrkesroll. Den professionella utvecklingen som självreflektion leder till gynnar både dem själva och deras elever. Resultatet visar också att för att självreflektion ska vara en del av arbetet, så krävs en uppmuntrande och positivt inställd organisation.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-08-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:04:57Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 aleixo_ocm_dr_sjrp.pdf: 1020505 bytes, checksum: dd455b1af5e6a9451aa72c68ef3391f6 (MD5) / A arte contemporânea apresenta-se como palco de experimentações e intensificação de estratégias de elaboração estética que promovem o questionamento e a problematização do fazer artístico. Dentre os inúmeros recursos que engendram esse desafio, destaca-se aqui a gaucherie, procedimento discutido pelo crítico Roland Barthes e que atua com um viés crítico e irônico, atribuindo ao objeto artístico um proposital aspecto de “rebaixamento”, ou, como o prório nome sugere, um caráter de “desvio” por ser “canhoto”, “torto”, e, por extensão, aparentemente “desajustado”, “mal feito”. Nesse sentido, esta tese discute especificamente o funcionamento da gaucherie na literatura, buscando evidenciar que essa sensação de “desvio” ou “rebaixamento” é atingida a partir de um trabalho com a linguagem calcado na exploração da fala coloquial, do discurso do senso comum, de imagens que assimilam as categorias contra-sublimes, como o grotesco, o kitsch, o mau gosto e as manifestações do riso (comicidade, paródia, carnavalização), dentre outros recursos. Para tanto, são analisados textos dos autores brasileiros Dalton Trevisan e Hilda Hilst, e dos portugueses José Cardoso Pires e Adília Lopes. Tais obras revelam tratar-se de um procedimento marcado pela extrema consciência na inserção desses aspectos, o que culmina em um movimento autorreferencial, pois a obra expõe à discussão o seus próprios mecanismos de construção. Com isso, são gerados curiosos efeitos de ironia, visto que o texto convida o leitor a lançar um olhar crítico e sintonizado com o modo peculiar como essas produções leem a própria arte, relativizando as noções pré-concebidas acerca do fazer literário / Comtenporary Art presents itself as a stage for experimentations and intensification of strategies of aesthetic elaboration that promote the questioning of artistic manifestation and make it problematic. Among the innumerable resources that engender this challenge, here we emphasize gaucherie, a procedure that is discussed by the critic Roland Barthes and acts as a critical and ironic bias, attributing to the artistic object an intentional aspect of “lowering”, or, as the name itself suggests, a character of “deviation” because it is “left-handed”, “crooked”, and, by extension, apparently “maladjusted”, “rough”. Accordingly, this thesis specifically discusses how gaucherie works in literature, trying to make evident that this sensation of “deviation” or “lowering” is achieved as a result of a work with language based on the exploration of colloquial speech, the common sense discourse, images that assimilate the counter-sublime categories, such as the grotesque, kitsch, bad taste and the manifestations of laughter (comicality, parody, carnivalization), among other resources. In order to do so, texts written by the Brazilian authors Dalton Trevisan and Hilda Hilst and by the Portuguese authors José Cardoso Pires and Adília Lopes are analyzed. Such literary works reveal it is a process marked by the extreme awareness in the insertion of these aspects, which culminates in a self-referential movement, for the literary work introduces to discussion its own construction mechanisms. Thus, curious effects of irony are created, given that the text invites the reader to cast a critical eye to it, a critical look that is in tune with the peculiar way in which these productions read their own art, making relative the preconceived notions about literary manifestation

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology (Discipline: Information Technology) in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Women in South Africa are under-represented in senior management positions in the Information technology (IT) sector — even with available incentives and directives to rectify the situation. The purpose of this research is to explore and understand the reasons for the imbalance in representation of women in senior management positions in the IT sector in South Africa. Seventeen women in middle to senior management positions from two of South Africa’s nine provinces — Western Cape and Gauteng — were interviewed for this study. The women were asked to relate their personal experiences and perceptions around organizational culture in IT environments and factors influencing their career advancements. A qualitative content analysis method was used to analyse the responses from the interviews. The findings of this study confirm the imbalanced representation of women in senior management positions. It was found that organizations are open and welcoming and provide opportunities to women, but women in the IT sector do not necessarily desire to advance to senior management positions. Factors such as the legacy in the IT industry where men held senior positions, career interruptions due to child bearing, and the absence of female mentor’s impact on the career advancement of women. The informal recruitment process for senior manager positions and the lack of emphasis on the need for women in IT when advertising senior management positions worsen the situation. Women lack self-confidence and are of the opinion that their skills set must be an exact match to the job requirements before applying for senior positions. Work life balance is not supported in the IT environment and no development programs aimed specifically at women are available. The paucity of women taking up technical careers — such as IT — limits the number of women available to develop and appoint in senior management positions. Guidelines for women to advance to senior positions and for companies to recruit and hire women are proposed. These guidelines will assist to correct the imbalance representation of women in senior management positions and promote IT as a career for women. A suggestion for future studies is to compare career advancement of women working in the software development environments, compared to women in the infrastructure and technical environments of IT, as well as those who have left the IT industry.