Student Number : 9709225V - MSc project report - School of Construction Economics and Management - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / This research was conducted in order to highlight the misconception that there may be a single answer to the challenges of energy efficient design; a “single elixir that will be the answer to all problems” (Holm, 1996). Existing literature pertaining to energy efficient design principles was analysed and tested against a well known example of Southern African energy efficient building practice; the Botswana Technology Centre (BOTEC). BOTEC was selected as the case study for this investigation because it was designed to be a living exhibition of energy efficient design and as such a manual or ‘elixir’ for alternate design. BOTEC was analysed on site, personal interviews were held with the architect and a questionnaire was circulated to the users of the building in order to observe whether the principles used at the BOTEC building are appropriate and represent the “single elixir, the answer to all problems,” with regard to energy efficient design (Holm, 1996). Although BOTEC appears to perform well, interviews with the users of the BOTEC building suggest that the building does not perform well in winter at all. Interviews with the architectural consultant who worked on the BOTEC building expose a simple oversight in design which leads to ‘this building’s underperformance in winter’. In concurrence with Holm therefore, this report ultimately shows that there are no perfect solutions to energy efficient design and by applying a once successful solution without taking cognisance of specific climatic and geological differences, the building will not function correctly.

The first participatory or inter-active science centre in Australia was Questacon, which operated in Canberra for the eight years, 1980-1988. Its very success lead to its demise: it became the inspiration for the National Science and Technology Centre which opened in late 1988. Questacon, in common with many of the World's new breed of science centres and museums, was modelled on San Francisco's famous Exploratorium. These new institutions have copied ideas and even actual exhibits from the Exploratorium, but most of them have failed to copy the Exploratorium's use of Explainers, a feature which Exploratorium staff think is integral to the whole concept. Questacon is one of the institutions in which an explainer system was established, although it differed in some significant respects from that at the Exploratorium. Participatory science centres have been seen as part of the answer to the problem of increasing public awareness and understanding of science. There is a growing body of literature which is concerned with the learning of science in informal educational settings, such as in these centres, but there has been very little work done on the role of museum docents or their equivalents in this learning. One study of the Exploratorium's Explainers concentrated on the value of their work as explainers for the people involved in the system, in terms of their own personal development. The aim of the present study was to compare the two explainer systems and to investigate the work of Questacon Explainers both in terms of their own personal development and in their interaction with visitors to the centre.

The main aim of the thesis (diploma work) was to analyse the current situation in (running) small and medium-size businesses in the region of South Bohemia and to uncover the possibilities of any further development and innovation, and to suggest suitable aid(support) programmes for SMB in South Bohemia. Implicit partial aims were: - characterization of the region of South Bohemia, including SWOT analysis; - evaluation of the importance of of the technology centres and their up-to-now findings and experience

This thesis analyzes the issue of computerization of state administration, which has been strongly supported in recent years, thanks to subsidies from the European Union. The practical part is based on a concrete example of the integration model of municipality technological centre, including other projects such as records service and department integration.

Esta Tesis centra la atención en la aplicación que los SIG pueden tener en diferentes campos de la economía como las empresas minoristas o los centros tecnológicos intensivos en conocimiento. Los SIG pueden definirse como el conjunto de herramientas para recoger, almacenar, transformar y mostrar los datos espaciales para un conjunto particular de propósitos (Burrough, 1988). Por su parte, Barredo (1996) precisa que los SIG son sistemas digitales que, a través de un conjunto de herramientas de hardware y de software, permiten el análisis y manipulación de datos geográficos proporcionando una modelación de la realidad. Por una parte, en el sector minorista, la apertura de un nuevo local es un factor crítico ya que comporta una serie de riesgos monetarios y de imagen muy elevados para la empresa. Por ello, resulta clave realizar un correcto análisis de la localización para las nuevas aperturas (Hernández & Bennison, 2000). El uso de los SIG ha facilitado la comprensión de la información geográfica para los gerentes que carecen de conocimientos técnicos, ayudándoles, por tanto, a tomar decisiones difíciles y de gran envergadura (Ozimec et al., 2010). Además, los SIG son capaces de gestionar la información cartográfica con datos alfanuméricos. Por ello, los SIG se están convirtiendo en una herramienta indispensable para la toma de decisiones sobre la localización de establecimientos (Mendes & Themido, 2004). Por otra parte, los centros tecnológicos, cuando se conciben como proveedores de servicios avanzados para permitir la innovación (COTEC, 2003), también pueden ser considerados ¿minoristas¿ cuyo producto son los servicios intensivos en conocimiento o knowledge intensive business services (KIS). Por lo tanto, el concepto de trade areas también se puede aplicar a los centros tecnológicos en cuanto a su ubicación y el diseño de sus estrategias, entre otros aspectos. Así, diferentes autores destacan la importancia de la proximidad geográfica de los centros de tecnología para que puedan ofrecer un servicio eficaz y apoyar a las empresas (Barrio & García-Quevedo, 2005; Tödtling & Kaufmann, 2001). Por ello, en la investigación que se llevará a cabo en esta Tesis, también se aplicarán técnicas GIS a los centros tecnológicos, en un intento de mejorar el conocimiento sobre los determinantes de la distribución espacial entre las empresas asociadas a un centro tecnológico. / Roig Tierno, H. (2013). Análisis de áreas comerciales mediante técnicas SIG: Aplicación a la distribución comercial y centros tecnológicos [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/32832 / TESIS

Quality and effective student support service (SSS) is a critical demand in the ever-changing landscape of distance education. It is common knowledge that distance education students need continuous support during their studies in order to cope with academic demands while attending to other key activities. This study set out to evaluate the implementation of SSS at the Namibia University of Science and Technology Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (NUST COLL) at different regional centres across Namibia. The objectives of the study were to: identify problems and challenges experienced with the current implementation of SSS, determine the needs of the distance students and propose recommendations for the improvement of SSS at the regional centres. In an attempt to realise the objectives of the study, the study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative research design to collect data, by making use of questionnaires, open-ended questions and interviews. The participants included 8 regional coordinators (RC) who were purposively selected and 109 distance students who were selected through stratified and convenience sampling techniques from seven COLL regional centres. It was evident from the findings that most students opted for distance education as it allows them to work and study. Furthermore, many students have been studying for many years without getting any qualification. While NUST was providing different SSS, the findings brought to light some challenges such as the shortage of technological tools, understaffed regional centres, and unavailability of support services on weekends and public holidays and lack of collaboration between marker-tutors, lecturers and regional face-to-face tutors. It is proposed that the current model of SSS should be redesigned to respond to challenges facing distance education students at the regional centres. A model for implementation of SSS was developed to pave the way for effective implementation geared towards reducing the dropout rates and increase success rates. Key terms: Implementation of student support services, technological tools, model for implementation, regional coordinators, academic demands, increase success rates, regional centres, distance education, regional centres, and dropout rates. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)