The history of mankind has been plagued by an almost continuous chain of various armed conflicts - local, regional, national and global - that have caused horrendous damage to the social and physical fabric of cities. The tragedy of millions deprived by war still continues. This study sets out to understand the nature of reconstruction after war in the light of recent armed conflicts. It attempts to catalogue and discuss the tasks involved in the process of reconstruction planning by establishing a conceptual framework of the main issues in the reconstruction process. The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina is examined in detail and on the whole acts as the leit-motif of the whole dissertation and positions reconstruction in the broader context of sustainable development. The study is organized into two parts that constitute the doctoral aggregate dissertation – a combining of papers with an introductory monograph. In this case the introductory monograph is an extended one and there are six papers that follow. Both sections can be read on their own merits but also constitute one entity. The rebuilding of war-devastated countries and communities can be seen as a series of nonintegrated activities carried out (and often imposed) by international agencies and governments, serving political and other agendas. The result is that calamities of war are often accompanied by the calamities of reconstruction without any regard to sustainable development. The body of knowledge related to post-conflict reconstruction lacks a strong and cohesive theory. In order to better understand the process of reconstruction we present a qualitative inquiry based on the Grounded Theory Method developed originally by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss (1967). This approach utilizes a complex conceptualization with empirical evidence to produce theoretical structure. The results of process have evolved into the development of a conceptual model, called SCOPE (Sustainable Communities in Post-conflict Environments). This study proposes both a structure within which to examine post-conflict reconstruction and provides an implementation method. We propose to use the SCOPE model as a set of strategy, policy and program recommendations to assist the international community and all relevant decision-makers to ensure that the destruction and carnage of war does not have to be followed by a disaster of post-conflict reconstruction. We also offer to provide a new foundation and paradigm on post-conflict reconstruction, which incorporates and integrates a number of approaches into a multidisciplinary and systems thinking manner in order to better understand the complexity and dependencies of issues at hand. We believe that such a systems approach could better be able to incorporate the complexities involved and would offer much better results than the approaches currently in use. The final section of this study returns to the fact that although it is probably impossible to produce universal answers, we desperately need to find commonalities amongst different postconflict reconstruction settings in order to better deal with the reconstruction planning in a more dynamic, proactive, and sustainable manner. / <p>QC 20111014</p>

This thesis is a descriptive case study of the first sustainability magnet themed elementary school in the U.S., the Sustainability Academy (SA) in Burlington, VT. The thesis provides an in depth case study narrative of the first pilot year of the SA (2009) as well as an examination of the analytical frameworks for evaluating the efficacy of sustainability movements in schools. A literature review is provided to distinguish between a type of static sustainability that supports the current educational paradigm and a type of sustainable education that identifies sustainability as a moving target and a deep process to transcend the current education paradigm. A step-by-step process for school evaluations of sustainability education is explored and discussed using: 1) the case study research of the SA in their pilot year; 2) the literature review on education and sustainability, systems thinking and school transformation; and 3) the exploration and adaptation of analytical frameworks for sustainability in education.

<b>Background:</b> External Quality Assessment assesses the quality of the structures, processes and outcomes of health facilities using pre-determined standards. South Africa is introducing a national policy on External Quality Assessment, operationalised by a newly established External Quality Assessment agency: the Office of Health Standards Compliance. This thesis seeks to answer three research questions: What is the relationship between External Quality Assessment and patient outcomes (specifically Healthcare Associated Infections) at the specialist-care facility level in South Africa? What are the facilitators of and barriers to health facility performance (i.e. attainment of compliance with standards) in External Quality Assessment at the district hospital level in South Africa? What has been the experience of External Quality Assessment by frontline healthcare workers at the district hospital level in South Africa? <b>Methods:</b> Three systematic literature reviews are conducted that attempt to identify the existing evidence base for the above-mentioned research questions in the international literature. A convergent parallel mixed methods design is used to answer the research questions, comprising an Interrupted Time Series Analysis and a multiple embedded case study of two pairs of health facilities that had undergone External Quality Assessment by the Office of Health Standards Compliance. The Interrupted Time Series Analysis assesses whether an effectiveness relationship can be demonstrated between External Quality Assessment and the Healthcare Associated Infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in eight South African specialist-care hospitals using monthly MRSA data from 2004 to 2014. MRSA is used in this thesis as the proxy patient outcome indicator. In order to answer research questions two and three, I participated in a district hospital External Quality Assessment as a participant observer as well as conducted fifteen in-depth interviews with healthcare workers from two pairs of district hospitals and thirteen in-depth interviews with Office of Health Standards Compliance inspectors. These findings are triangulated with health facility External Quality Assessment reports. <b>Results:</b> No conclusive evidence is found of a relationship between implementation of External Quality Assessment and changes in MRSA. The major theoretical lenses drawn from in the analysis of the qualitative findings are systems thinking theory and regulatory theory. The qualitative research suggests that facilitators of performance in External Quality Assessment in South Africa include strong directional leadership within health facilities, a collaborative organisational culture, a whole systems approach, staff development, incentives, a robust information system and a supportive External Quality Assessment agency. The research also identifies poor alignment of External Quality Assessment standards, under-developed and limited human resources, inadequate decision-making space afforded to district hospital leadership, limited financial resources, the use of penalties and negative staff perceptions of External Quality Assessment as barriers to health facility performance in External Quality Assessment. In unpacking the experiences of South African healthcare workers of External Quality Assessment, this research finds that the work of the Office of Health Standards Compliance is valued by healthcare workers as a potential educational opportunity and is useful in providing the health system with a means to compare health facilities using a standardised tool. The implementation of the Office of Health Standards Compliance's External Quality Assessments requires significant improvement and, in their current form, they have potential unintended negative consequences on healthcare worker motivation as well as potentially, inadvertently encouraging the gaming of External Quality Assessment. <b>Conclusion:</b> The Office of Health Standards Compliance is being set up in such a way that once fully established it will be the primary regulator of quality of care in the South African health system. This thesis attempts to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of this largely under-researched health system intervention and to contribute to strengthening its implementation.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:04:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 19 / Nenhuma / Em um mercado competitivo e sujeito a mudanças cada vez mais freqüentes, as alternativas para a melhoria dos produtos e processos necessitam ser constantemente avaliadas. Neste aspecto, a tomada de decisão tem grande relevância, principalmente nas decisões estratégicas, pois elas podem determinar o sucesso ou a ruína da empresa, dependendo do grau de risco, incerteza e dos critérios adotados para a tomada de decisão. Freqüentemente decisões são tomadas nas organizações considerando-se experiências em processos similares ou utilizando-se de ferramentas tradicionais. Porém, estas decisões são muitas vezes pontuais, resolvendo um problema específico e esquecendo o restante do sistema. O resultado é a solução de alguns problemas e o agravamento de outros, ou até mesmo o surgimento de problemas inexistentes em tal sistema. Dentro deste contexto, o Pensamento Sistêmico tem grande importância. Nesta pesquisa procurou-se direcionar os critérios para a tomada de decisão dentro do conceito sistêmico, ou seja, visualiza / In a competitive market, subject to frequent changes, the alternatives for improving products and processes need to be constantly evaluated. Here, the decision making has great significance, especially in strategic decisions, as they could determine the success or ruin the company, depending on the degree of risk, uncertainty and the criteria adopted for the decision. Frequently decisions are taken in organizations, considering experiences in similar processes or using traditional tools. However, these decisions are often isolated, by solving a specific problem and ignoring the rest of the system. The result is the solution of some problems and the worsening of others or even the growth of unknown problems in this system. Within this context, the Systems Thinking has great importance. This study sought to address the criteria for decision making within the Systems Thinking concept, by viewing the entire system and sharing this vision for all decision makers. Also within the Systems Thinking, the Scenario Plan

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-04-20T13:21:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Isabel Wolf Motta Morandi_.pdf: 9044635 bytes, checksum: cf16499a76fe7570811dcc0ffce81e36 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-20T13:21:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Isabel Wolf Motta Morandi_.pdf: 9044635 bytes, checksum: cf16499a76fe7570811dcc0ffce81e36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-30 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / As decisões estratégicas visam a operacionalizar a estratégia da empresa a fim de alcançar as metas traçadas, as quais, embora possam ser de múltiplas naturezas, têm como fim maior ampliar os retornos de acionistas e o valor da própria empresa. O processo de orçamentação de capital, mais especificamente a etapa de avaliação e seleção de projetos, fornece bases para escolher as opções de maior retorno. No entanto, os métodos tradicionais apresentam lacunas, em especial no que tange à consideração dos impactos sistêmicos provocados pelo exercício de uma opção estratégica e das incertezas presentes no processo de decisão estratégica. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desta pesquisa é a proposição de um método de avaliação de opções estratégicas de investimento que funcione de maneira sistêmica e dinâmica, ou seja, que considere como as reações dos atores e as incertezas impactam no resultado da opção escolhida. Para tanto, a Design Science Research foi o método selecionado para conduzir esta pesquisa, cujo resultado principal é a proposição e avaliação do método de avaliação das opções estratégicas do NPV sistêmico e dinâmico, ou seja, do NPV resultante da avaliação da opção estratégica considerando a reação dos atores nos diversos cenários futuros. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado em uma empresa do ramo de mineração que atende tanto as heurísticas de construção como as heurísticas contingenciais identificadas no processo de construção do artefato. A aplicação permite avaliar satisfatoriamente o método proposto, bem como identificar possíveis refinamentos. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que o método proposto traz contribuições teóricas e gerenciais. Do ponto de vista da teoria, aponta-se a proposição do conceito e o construto do NPV sistêmico e dinâmico, bem como a possibilidade de avaliar quantitativamente a significância das incertezas críticas na formulação dos cenários. Do ponto de vista gerencial, a possibilidade de avaliar sistêmica e dinamicamente as opções estratégicas, verificando os efeitos sinérgicos entre elas e a sua robustez frente a diferentes cenários, constitui-se em uma contribuição ao processo de tomada de decisão. / Strategic decisions aim to operationalize the company's strategy in order to reach its goals, which, although it may be of multiple natures, seek to increase the returns for the shareholders and the value of the company itself. The capital budgeting process, more specifically the project evaluation and selection stages, provides the basis for selecting the highest return options. However, the traditional methods present gaps, especially regarding the consideration of the systemic impacts caused by the exercise of a strategic option, and the uncertainties present in the strategic decision process. In this sense, the objective of this research is the proposition of a method to evaluate the strategic options in a systemic and dynamic way, that is, that considers how the reactions of the actors and the uncertainties impact on the result of the chosen option. Design Science Research was the method selected to conduct this research. The artifact is the strategic options evaluation method, which aims to calculate the systemic and dynamic NPV, that is, the taking into account the reaction of the actors in the various future scenarios. The developed method was applied in a mining company that satisfy both the construction heuristics and the contingency heuristics identified in the artifact construction process. This application allowed to satisfactorily evaluate the proposed method, as well as to identify possible refinements. From the results, it was possible to verify both the theoretical and the managerial contributions. From the theoretical point of view, the main contribution is the concept and the construct of the systemic and dynamic NPV. A secondary contribution is a toll to evaluate, in a quantitative way, the significance of the critical uncertainties in the formulation of the scenarios. From the managerial point of view, the possibility of systematically and dynamically evaluating the strategic options, evaluating the synergistic effects between them and their robustness in the different scenarios, constitutes a contribution to the decision-making process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nancy Benedita Berruezo Bergami.pdf: 4101776 bytes, checksum: dfc42a12431ae7b49632c0a838c8a780 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-24 / By taking the new-paradigm of systems thinking as theoretical basis for understanding the construction of school complaint, we are using a way of perceiving the phenomena of human health that is compatible with the thought which guides the practices in health promotion. Thus, we intend to verify through the achievement of a Program for Health Promotion in School, developed with teachers and with parents and guardians, if there would have a change in the perceptions and expectations of the action for the approach of the school complaints. This study was qualified as a qualitative survey done with teachers, pedagogues, school director and with parents and guardians of pupils of a public school located in the interior of Parana state. The information analyzed stem from responses to the situational questionnaires applied before and after the completion of this program. The Program was built and themes relevant to the reality of the participants and also selected by them. In analyzing the responses, we found that, after participating in the Program, the following changes have occurred: teachers, pedagogues and the school director expanded their perception about the school problem; no longer blame the family coming to recognize the need for research before judging the situation; they identified the problem not only on the individual citizen but also the interactions that this one establishes; they eased the justification of their position overcome the problem; they emphasized the importance of implementing policies directed at peers, integrated and governmental actions, in addition to emphasizing the need to maintain a relationship of good quality with the student; they get themselves involved with the school problem, besides to the student and the family, moreover the family that was the responsible for the problem became the participant of the solution. Parents and guardians included the school among the possible causes of the problem; they were no more viewed as isolated from school nor impugned for lack of ability to maintain the limits for their kids; they perceived themselves able to envision an integrated action between family and school in the confrontation of the problems of children; they began to realize that they have resources to tackle the problem; they added affective measures of teachers to the students in the solution of the problem; they replaced the family responsibility by the recognizing the responsibility of the school about the matter / Ao tomarmos o pensamento sistêmico novo-paradigmático como referência teórica para o entendimento da construção da queixa escolar, estamos utilizando uma forma de compreender os fenômenos da saúde humana que é compatível com o pensamento que orienta as práticas em promoção de saúde. Assim, pretendemos verificar a partir da realização de um Programa de Promoção de Saúde na Escola, desenvolvido com professores e com pais e responsáveis, se haveria mudança nas percepções e expectativas de ação para abordagem das queixas escolares. Este estudo caracterizouse como uma pesquisa qualitativa realizada com professores, pedagogas, diretora e com pais e responsáveis de alunos de uma escola pública localizada no interior do Paraná. As informações analisadas advêm das respostas aos questionários situacionais aplicados antes e depois da realização do referido programa. O Programa foi construído e temas pertinentes à realidade dos participantes, inclusive por eles selecionados. Na análise das respostas, constatamos que, após a participação no Programa, ocorreram as seguintes mudanças: os professores, pedagogas e diretora ampliaram sua percepção sobre o problema escolar; deixaram de culpabilizar a família passando a reconhecer a necessidade de investigação antes de julgar a situação; identificaram o problema não somente no indivíduo, mas também nas interações que este estabelece; flexibilizaram a justificativa do seu posicionamento frente ao problema; enfatizaram a importância de implementar ações dirigidas aos pares, ações integradas e governamentais, além de ressaltar a necessidade de manter uma relação de boa qualidade com o aluno; perceberam-se implicados com o problema escolar, além do aluno e da família, aliás a família passou de responsável pelo problema para participante da solução. Os pais e responsáveis incluíram a escola entre as possíveis causas do problema; não se viram mais isolados da escola e nem recriminados por falta de habilidade em manter os limites para com os filhos; perceberam-se capazes de vislumbrar uma ação integrada entre a família e a escola no enfrentamento dos problemas dos filhos; passaram a perceber que têm recursos para enfrentar o problema; acrescentaram medidas afetivas dos professores para com os alunos na solução do problema; substituíram a responsabilidade da família pelo reconhecimento da responsabilidade da escola sobre o problema

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre des recherches réalisées sur l'intervention organisationnelle, et plus particulièrement dans le domaine du bien-être dans les PME. À partir d'une critique sur les interventions en bien-être au travail fondées sur un diagnostic quantitatif, nous proposons une démarche d'intervention systémique qui vise à transformer les situations de travail plutôt qu'à diagnostiquer leurs dysfonctionnements. Cette démarche a été construite à partir des travaux théoriques menés en systémique. Elle a ensuite fait l'objet d'un guide dédié aux intervenants et a été mise en pratique dans cinq PME. Cette finalité pratique s'est doublée d'une volonté de compréhension des processus de changement induits par la démarche. Pour ce faire, cinq interventions ont été menées dans des contextes d'activité variés : secteurs public et privé, activités de service,commerciales et médico-sociales. Les cas ont été suivis d'une démarche d'évaluation, axée sur les représentations, par rapport au changement, des acteurs impliqués. En termes destratégie de recherche, l'étude de cas multiples est apparue comme la plus adaptée pour approfondir notre connaissance des processus de changement ; les résultats issus des premiers cas ont été considérés comme provisoires et nécessitant d'être confrontés à d'autres, dans unelogique itérative. En parallèle, cette stratégie a permis de procéder à un enrichissement continu de la démarche d'intervention proposée. Quatre des cinq entreprises ont mis en oeuvre des transformations des situations de travail. Dans les deux entreprises dites « entrepreneuriales », les changements ont été instaurés avant ou à l'occasion du départ des intervenants. En revanche, dans les structures « réglementaires », il a fallu au minimum cinq mois pour voir apparaître les premières améliorations de l'environnement de travail. Cette temporalité accélérée dans les structures entrepreneuriales s'explique principalement par la stratégie de participation mobilisée : les changements étaient instaurés à l'initiative spontanée des équipes et de l'encadrement, ce qui n'était pas le cas dans les structures réglementaires, où nous avons été confrontés à des freinages décisionnels. Ces résultats permettent de mieux orienter l'action des intervenants en santé au travail, en fonction des milieux dans lesquels ils interviennent. Ils mettent également en avant les intérêts de la démarche d'intervention proposée, ainsi que les futures améliorations à apporter. / This thesis is part of the research on organizational intervention, and more specifically on employee wellbeing in small and medium-sized companies. Starting from a criticism of wellbeing at work interventions based on a quantitative diagnosis, we put forward a systemic intervention method aiming to transform work situations rather than simply diagnose their malfunctions. This method was built from theoretical work based on systems thinking, and was then used as a guide for consultants implemented in five small and medium-sized companies. The purpose was not only practical, as we strived to understand the change processes associated with such a method. We carried out five interventions in various sectors: private or public, service, commercial or medico-social. Each case was then followed by interviews focused on the change representations of the involved parties. In terms of research strategy, a multiple case-study approach seemed best suited to further our knowledge of change processes; the results of the first few cases were deemed temporary and needed checking against other cases, with an iterative logic. This strategy allowed us to further enrich the proposed intervention method in parallel.Four of the five companies involved then initiated changes of work situations. In "entrepreneurial" companies, the changes were implemented before or upon our departure. In "bureaucratic" companies, it took at least five months to see the first improvements of the work environment. The accelerated temporality in entrepreneurial companies is due to the mobilized participation strategy: the changes were implemented at the spontaneous initiative of both the staff and management. This wasn't the case in the bureaucratic companies where we faced slow decision making processes. Those results allow us to better direct theoccupational health practitioners in taking whatever steps they deem necessary, according to the environments in which they operate. The results also emphasize the benefits of the proposed intervention method, and further improvements where necessary.

Outsourcing is a sought out practice within business and, in particular, the U.S. aerospace industry; however, some outsourced firms cannot meet client expectations. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies outsourced firm company leaders use to improve the performance of employees. The sample comprised 4 senior managers employed with a firm that has been producing parts for 109 years for a major aerospace company in Southern California. The conceptual framework for this study built upon systems thinking to identify the structure of the outsourcing and supplier relationship and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory to understand work motivation in employee performance of the supplier in the outsourcing relationship. The data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. Member checking was completed to strengthen creditability and trustworthiness. Based on the methodological triangulation of the data sources collected, 5 emergent themes were identified after completing the 5 stages of data analysis: the existence of industry pressures, the need for communication, extrinsic motivational factors, organizational commitment, and strategies for employee performance. Findings of this study may provide company managers with performance strategies to support outsourcing relationships and subsequently employment as a social product. The data from this study may contribute to the prosperity of outsourced firms, their employees, their families, the surrounding community, and the local economy.

Ineffective professional development is a longstanding problem in education. Locally, the school district in the study lacked a comprehensive system for evaluating their secondary level professional development programs. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the district's professional development program, specifically examining its perceived strengths and weaknesses. The conceptual framework of the study was systems theory and the adaptive schools reform model. The research questions examined the perceptions of various school personnel on their experiences with the current professional development program at the study district's high school. Individual interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 3 teachers, 4 teacher-facilitators, 1 professional development committee member, and 1 school administrator. Interview data were concurrently analyzed using inductive analysis and typologies derived from the literature. The results were used to create a project consisting of a comprehensive policy proposal that provides detailed guidance and procedures for every stage of the school's professional development program cycle. The study project was designed to assist educators, administrators, and school districts in conceptualizing, designing, and implementing professional development programs that are tailored to meet the needs of local educators. This study promotes positive social change through facilitating the development of improved professional development programs that increase teacher quality and student achievement.

This study investigates fluctuations of construction output, and growth of the output in Kenya. Fluctuation and growth of construction activity are matters of concern in construction industries of many countries in the developing as well as in the developed world. The construction industry of Kenya is therefore an exemplifying case for this phenomenon. Construction activity in Kenya fluctuates excessively and grows very slowly. This remains a big challenge to policy makers, developers, consultants and contractors in their decision-making processes. In this study, systems thinking was applied to investigate the problem of excessive fluctuations and stunted growth of construction output in Kenya. The study developed a system dynamics model to simulate the construction output problem behaviour. The historical behaviour of the construction industry was described using construction output data of a 40-year period - from 1964 to 2003. Line graphs of the historical data exhibited profiles that helped to identify the system archetypes operating in the industry. From the profiles, it was deduced that the problem of fluctuations and slow growth of construction output in Kenya is encapsulated in two system archetypes, namely: balancing process with a delay, and limits to growth. The relationship between construction output and its determinant factors from the constru ction industry's environment was investigated using time series regression, which involved autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) regression and multiple regression modelling of the output. On the basis of the historical data analysis and the system archetypes identified, a system dynamics (SD) model was developed to replicate the problem of fluctuations and slow growth in the construction output. The data used to develop the system dynamics model was annual construction output in Kenya from 1964 to 2003. The model was then used: to appraise policy changes suggested by construction industry participants in Kenya, and to project construction output in Kenya from year 2004 to year 2050, in order to establish the expected future fluctuations and growth trends of the construction output. It was observed that three fundamental changes are necessary in the system structure of the construction industry of Kenya, in order to minimize fluctuations and foster growth in construction output in the country, in the long run. The changes are: setting long-term targets of annual construction output in the industry as a whole, incorporating reserve capacity in the production process, and expanding the system st ructure to capture a larger construction market. The study recommends regulation of the response of the construction industry of Kenya to changes in construction demand in the market, and expansion of the construction industry's market into the African region and beyond.