The work describes the application of the EFQM Excellence Model and the implementation of these requirements in the organization. Part of this work is to analyze the performance criteria of evaluation, identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement.

The aim of my diploma thesis is to process a strategic analysis of the Family brewery BERNARD, a.s. with using of selected methods of internal and external analysis. I will characterize the strengths and weaknesses of the internal company environment, business opportunities and environmental threats. I will compare the competitive position of the monitored company with its competitive companies in the market. I will elaborate the financial analysis of the brewery for the period 2007, 2008 and 2009 by calculating some profitability ratios, activities and debt. Based on the evaluation of the company according selected methods of strategic analysis, I will outline the business strategy and recommendations for its further development.

Laser technologies have made distinguished contributions to modern industry. These have typically been realised through the important role played by lasers in the advancement of manufacturing technology in many areas such as welding, which has become an important joining technique and thus promoted the use of lasers in a wide variety of applications in the oil, gas, aerospace, aircraft, automotive, electronics and medical industries. A detailed review of previous work in the use of lasers for advanced manufacturing, and in particular, laser beam welding is given. The work reported in this thesis aims to develop a new method of laser welding. This is connected with investigations relating to the production of net shape welds for bead-on-plate welding and butt welding of mild steel plates. Based on the nature of its operation, use of a fibre laser was considered most suitable compared to other solid state lasers. Net-shape welds were demonstrated on mild steel plates using an IPG 1 kW single mode fibre laser with a maximum power output of 1000 W.The thesis shows results from experimental and modelling (based on finite element and computational fluid dynamic modelling) to validate the idea and the understanding of underlying scientific principles. The thesis is presented in the form of a collection of published work generated by the author during the course of this project. In addition, some results that are not yet published are also included. Design of experiments and statistical modelling has been used in the experimental work to understand the process parameter interactions. Microstructural and mechanical testing have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the welds. Net shaped (the weld bead is flat to the parent material surface) welds have been achieved and compared with standard welds. The understanding of net-shape weld formation and the effect of the laser welding parameters was enhanced by the theoretical modelling. The thesis concludes with a summary of scientific findings and an overview of future work.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a chronic health condition that is increasingly affecting both children and adolescents (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Although many studies have investigated the impact of HIV on cognitive, physical, academic, and psychosocial functioning, little is known about the self-perception of health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks of youth who are infected with HIV. This study is one of first to examine the presence of these positive and negative health indicators and the relationship among these factors in youth with HIV and a community-based sample. A total of 84 youth (n=42 in each group) between 13-18 years old participated in this study. All participants completed a packet of self-report measures, which included the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL™ 4.0; Varni, Burwinkle, Seid, & Skarr, 2003), Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS; Huebner, 1991), Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale-Children (PANAS-C; Laurent et al., 1999), Social Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scale-Adolescent Form (SEARS-A; Merrell, 2011), and Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-2 BESS; Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007). The data were analyzed for significant correlations, group differences, and social-emotional predictors of physical functioning and subjective well-being. Specifically for youth with HIV, several health-related quality of life indicators were found to be positively correlated with life satisfaction and social-emotional strengths indicators, but negatively correlated with negative affect and psychopathology symptoms. Stronger, but non-significant correlation coefficients were noted for participants in the HIV group than youth in the community-based sample. In particular, stronger associations between the positive mental health indicators (i.e., subjective well-being and social emotional strengths) were observed for youth with HIV than youth in the community-based sample. Youth with HIV also reported a greater association between their subjective well-being and psychopathology when compared to youth in the community-based sample. Additionally, there was a significant main effect of family structure on participants’ perceptions of their social functioning and psychopathology symptoms. When the differences in family structure were controlled for, the overall mean ratings of participants’ health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks did not significantly differ between groups. Furthermore, family structure and self-rated empathy skills significantly predicted physical functioning of youth with HIV, but no significant or meaningful variables were found to predict their subjective-well being. Finally, no significant variables were found to predict the physical functioning or subjective well-being of youth in the community-based sample. The limitations of the current study, implications of findings, and directions for future research are discussed.

abstract: Prior research has provided evidence to suggest that veterans exhibit unique assets that benefit them in engineering education and engineering industry. However, there is little evidence to determine whether their assets are due to military service or other demographic factors such as age, maturity, or gender. The aim of this study is to discover, better understand, and disseminate the unique assets that veterans gained through military service and continue to employ as engineering students or professional engineers. This strength-based thematic analysis investigated the semi-structured narrative interviews of 18 military veterans who are now engineering students or professionals in engineering industry. Using the Funds of Knowledge framework, veterans’ Funds of Knowledge were identified and analyzed for emergent themes. Participants exhibited 10 unique veterans’ Funds of Knowledge. Utilizing analytical memos, repeated reflection, and iterative analysis, two overarching themes emerged, Effective Teaming in Engineering and Adapting to Overcome Challenges. Additionally, a niche concept of Identity Crafting was explored using the unique narratives of two participants. This study provides empirical evidence of military veterans experientially learning valuable assets in engineering from their military service. A better understanding of the veterans’ Funds of Knowledge presented in this study provides valuable opportunities for their utilization in engineering education and engineering industry. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Engineering 2020

Strengths-based interventions utilize families' "disciplinary" expertise as parents to their individual child. This workshop explores an assessment-to-intervention approach that delves into the ways families help their child learn and why those strategies were chosen to then collaboratively build interventions based on what families already do and their underlying parenting goals.

Optimal learning environments designs that move beyond traditional pedagogical considerations to include Social Justice concepts can be a challenge for educators in academic and practice contexts. The workshop promotes learning environments designs reflective of inclusiveness and members’ psychosocial safety. Inclusiveness reflects sensitivity to learner diversity and promotive of psychosocial safety, a term coined by the workshop facilitator. Psychological safety is operationalized as the offering and receiving of respect despite and because of one’s differences, a knowing uniqueness will be honored as will beliefs and course content understanding. Psychosocial safety flourishes in strengths-based, trauma-informed atmospheres. Additionally addressed are barriers to designing optimal learning environments, including solution strategies. Experiential Learning Theory informs the workshop; experiential learning devices (e.g., reflexive activities, group discussions) encourage defining and refining workshop skills and strategies. The sensitive and culturally bound nature of social justice suggests use of scaffolding of strategies by educators to aid integration of learning.

This Degree Project studies health promotion and strengths-based approaches in an Indigenous Australian context. The study focuses on an Indigenous Australian organisation called the Deadly Choices and their health-related promotion. The study is informed by postcolonial theory as well as cultural identity theory, and it was conducted through a textual analysis by analysing Deadly Choices’ Facebook posts and Twitter tweets both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study set out to determine what kind of features and what style language could contribute to the notion of a strengths-based approach and thus could empower Indigenous people to become change agents themselves.  The aim of the study was to understand if there are certain repetitive, identifiable features that construct the basis for a strengths-based approach and thus contribute to the matters of empowerment and decolonising health promotion in the context of Deadly Choices. In total 151 samples were analysed. I was able to conclude that Deadly Choices uses a strengths-based approach to an extent, but they tend to focus on only the resilience approach rather than the more prominent sociocultural approach.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has typically been treated with a deficits-based response while most research has ignored any intelligence differences between the subtypes, despite differing symptomology. This quantitative study explored whether or not a distinct pattern of intelligences existed within each of the subtypes or presentations of ADHD: inattentive (IT), hyperactive (HT), and combined (CT). Using Gardner's multiple intelligences theory, data were collected via an online, self-administered survey from a sample of 132 participants, over 18 years of age, with IT, HT, and CT ADHD. The goal was to identify the most predominant of 8 different strengths or intelligences. Predominant intelligence types were measured through the completion of the online Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scale (MIDAS). Discriminant function analysis was used to interpret differences and combinations among predictors through identification of interdependency and pattern delineation. Study results failed to identify a distinct pattern of a relationship between the types of intelligence and ADHD subtypes. Further research is needed in the area of identifying the strengths of individuals diagnosed with ADHD in an effort to shift treatment and intervention responses to a more strengths-based perspective, possibly impacting individual, academic, and social success for those with ADHD.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Mental health is one of the most neglected issues among school-going adolescents, with the result that little is known about aspects of these young people in the South African context. Given the stressors encountered by adolescents in the South African context specifically, there is a great need for research into which health-promoting behavioural and coping strategies adolescents use to buffer the negative consequences of these stressors on their mental health and overall psychological well-being.