Call number: LD2668 .T4 1955 R72 / Master of Science

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This paper examines the National Child Labor Movement in America at the turn of the 20th century and how it affected collective American social consciousness and civic engagement. One of the first and most important social movements of the Progressive Era led by the National Child Labor Committee, reformers sought to use multiple focal points to unite the American public around the issue of children and the greater good of the nation’s future. In doing so, the movement embedded a new urban social awareness in which Americans finally caught a glimpse into the lives of their fellow citizens, of all classes and backgrounds, and began to develop empathetic practices to initiate social change. Ultimately, this had a significant effect on the future of urban social reform.

The unique cultural techniques of the historic building trades of New Orleans are currently at risk of being lost due to a lack of new master craftsmen and the demise of the current generation of master craftsmen. The purpose of this study is twofold: to analyze the historic transmission of the trades in New Orleans through the lens of workforce development and to inventory and analyze current programs that teach the trades. Analysis of historic training in the trades and best practices in workforce development inform an assessment of the strengths of current programs and their ability to enhance the supply of master craftsmen. Additional analysis of workforce development practices and programmatic strengths combine to illustrate room introducing career pathways and intermediaries into the current system of training. This system of training in New Orleans is fragmented and insufficient to truly enhance supply; however, programmatic strengths present opportunities for improvement.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Project Management in Construction). / The issues relating to women in construction exist internationally and, over the years they have been analysed from affirmative action Piper (2002) to cultural beliefs Hopkins & McManus (1998) job satisfaction and development Dabke (2008) and perception and professional acceptance Perreault (1992) & Enshassia (2008). In South Africa, following studies have been analysed, Verway (2005) looked at comparative analysis between SA and USA women entrepreneurs in construction, Mjolo-Mncube (2005) analysed opportunities for women in housing and construction, Mahlobo (2006) looked at challenges faced by women contractors in housing construction. However, not much emphasis has been put around hindrances that shorten the professional working life of female site engineers on construction sites in South Africa. The study adopted qualitative research method. Fifteen female site engineers currently working on construction sites for different construction companies were selected for questionnaires and open ended interview questions. Major findings identified discrimination, construction culture, work-conflict, glass ceiling, under representation of women and impact of cultural beliefs to be the hindrances that shorten the professional working life of female site engineers on construction sites. To retain female site engineers in the construction industry, it is recommended that employers introduce flexible work schedule; introduce mentorship programs and give them the same opportunities as their male counterparts in order to create more diversity in the sector thus increasing creativity and efficiency. Keywords: construction, site, engineers, work-life balance, hindrances, women, culture.

A pesquisa investiga as experiências artísticas inseridas no cotidiano urbano contemporâneo para compreender as perspectivas estéticas latentes nessas práticas, no que diz respeito à sua interferência nos processos de subjetivação hegemônicos promovidos pelas sociedades capitalistas. Foram analisadas as práticas de performances artísticas que fazem apropriação do espaço urbano e outras produções estéticas anônimas e relacionais, que se afastam das proposições usuais e mantêm atitudes que se fundamentam na necessidade de encontrar mecanismos de sobrevivência e de reconhecimento dentro das lógicas contemporâneas. As análises foram amparadas por três grupos de intervenções urbanas como eixo empírico da pesquisa: o primeiro trata das derivas no meio urbano com a utilização de uma moldura clássica como dispositivo disparador da performance. O segundo eixo traz as performances urbanas de sentido relacional propostas pelo coletivo paulista Garrafas Térmicas e por grupos similares, observando as variações e afinidades. Por fim, observamos as práticas artísticas dadas como inscrições poéticas arraigadas no senso comum enquanto experiências conhecidas e não pensadas. A sua contextualização teórica se fez pelo entendimento da arte contemporânea, da estética e da crítica da arte, primeiro por autores como Artur Danto, Anne Cauquelin, Hans Belting e Giorgio Argan. Em seguida, o contato com as ruas remeteu a pesquisa para autores que se utilizam da estética para abordar questões filosóficas, antropológicas e das ciências humanas, como Jacques Rancière, Levi-Strauss, Henry Lefebvre, Frederic Jameson, Máximo Canevachi e Richard Schechner. Esse percurso resumiu-se com a escolha de Michel de Certeau (2014), para a abordagem da produção estética no ambiente urbano, alinhado ao pensamento das táticas desviacionistas emergentes nas práticas cotidianas, e de Stuart Hall (2013), que norteou a reflexão sobre o campo cultural contemporâneo que envolve os sistemas de produção de ideologias implícitas nas produções de relações e de produtos engendradas pela globalização generalista do sistema capitalista. Este estudo também teve o intuito de lançar um olhar sobre o jogo de valores mercadológicos e agenciamentos institucionais que provocam a absorção dessas experiências, transformando-as em objetos estéticos. Verificamos, ainda, qual a relação dos museus e demais espaços e instituições das artes acerca dessa produção estética. / The research investigates the artistic experiences inserted in the urban everyday life in order to comprehend the dormant aesthetic perspectives in those practices concerning their interference in the processes of hegemonic subjectivation promoted by capitalistic societies. The analysis was made on practices of artistic performances that take the urban space and other anonymous aesthetic and relational productions that move away from usual propositions and keep attitudes based on the need of finding survival mechanisms and recognition inside the contemporary logic. The studies were supported by three urban intervention groups as the empirical main point of the research: the first is about the drifting in urban space having used a classic frame as starter device of the performance. The second point shows the urban performances of relational sense proposed by the group \"Garrafas Térmicas\", from São Paulo, and others similar, observing the variations and affinities. Lastly, we observed the artistic practices given as poetical registers rooted in \"common sense\" taken as experiences known and not thought. It\'s theoretical contextualization made itself through the understanding of contemporary art, aesthetic and art criticism, first by authors like Artur Danto, Anne Cauquelin, Hans Belting and Giorgio Argan. Next, the contact with the streets directed the research to authors who use the aesthetic to approach philosophical and anthropological questions and also the human sciences, like Jacques Rancière, Levi-Strauss, Henry Lefebvre, Frederic Jameson, Máximo Canevachi and Richard Schechner. This path was summarized with the choice of Michel de Certeau (2014), to approach the aesthetic production in urban environment aligned to the ideas of emerging deviationist tactics in daily life practices, also Stuart Hall (2013), who guided the reflection over the contemporary cultural field which involves the systems of ideology productions implicit in the making of relations and products engendered by generalist globalization of the capitalistic system. This study also had the objective of directing some attention over the game of market values and institutional agency trades that provoke the absorption of those experiences turning them into aesthetic objects. It\'s was also verified the relation of museums, other places and art institutes regarding that aesthetic production.

The research is focusing on small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the German Medical Technology (MedTech) industry and investigates the antecedents and the effects of organizational capabilities on their strategy regarding international ventures. Although there is various research in the field of strategy, internationalisation and SMEs, the impact of existing research in the specific field of German Medtech SMEs is relatively poor while theoretical and empirical findings obtained in another particular institutional context are not yet applicable in other countries or industries. As a consequence, a systematic review of the literature has been conducted. An initial conceptual model was developed, in which significant findings regards country, industry and firm-specific aspects could be identified. The philosophical stand of the researcher and his ontological view as a post-positivist allows both, a qualitative and a quantitative approach. By applying a mixed method approach a focus group discussion provided in depth-knowledge in order to sharpen the initial model. Antecedents, as well as the most important factors related to strategy, were emphasized and further important aspects that focus on capabilities were revealed. With these results, constructs and relationships were modeled and quantitative data from a survey with more than 60 German MedTech SMEs were collected and assessed. This approach led to the finding that factors such as ́market potential ́, ́physical capital ́, ́medical regulations ́ and ́product competitive-ness ́ have the highest influence on the firm ́s strategic approach. ́Organizational learning ́ and ́coordination mechanism ́ have particularly an impact on strategy development, whereas relationship capabilities mediating effect on the strategy-competitive advantage relationship. Firm size and firm ́s experience in international ventures influence a firm ́s internationalisation. The results will serve as a strategic input for SME’s in the German MedTech industry. This research provided a contribution to knowledge that is relevant from an academic as well as from an economic point of view. The findings should help academics, MedTech SMEs, and governmental institutions to understand the decisive factors for internationalisation and the importance to develop specific organizational capabilities in this context. This understanding contributes towards a sound development of German MedTech SMEs in their future internationalisation.

This thesis assesses the role of the Government (in Mexico) and the Foreign Trade Council of Mexico (BANCOMEXT) in the internationalization of Mexican small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in low- and medium-technology industries (LMT), which is the main group of firms serviced by BANCOMEXT-Europe. It also sheds light on the internal and external barriers this organization has identified as affecting the internationalization of these SMEs from developing countries (Mexico) in developed and distant markets (the European Union). To achieve this, a case study was undertaken in the six offices of BANCOMEXT (now PROMEXICO) in Europe: Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and France. BANCOMEXT is the most specialized governmental organization dealing with the internationalization of SMEs. The story told by the BANCOMEXT officers is analysed from the international business (the Uppsala model and the role of government intermediaries in the internationalization of SMEs), innovation and policy perspectives (the national system of innovation (NSI) approach) and the economic perspective. After the inductive analysis of the interviews undertaken with government officers from BANCOMEXT-Europe, 220 concepts that span the policy, macro, micro and meso levels were identified. The findings suggest that BANCOMEXT-Europe has mainly contributed to the internationalization of LMT-SMEs by the provision of information and by putting these firms in contact with potential clients abroad, but there are some unattended areas in which BANCOMEXT-Europe could expand its activities to contribute to the internationalization of LMT-SMEs. This thesis also uncovered that the SMEs' performance and the scope of BANCOMEXT's activities have been negatively affected by problems of different origins. Some of them are internal to Mexican SMEs, and there are also external barriers of both domestic and foreign origin inhibiting the SMEs' internationalization and explaining their very limited participation in foreign markets. These problems are enhanced by the environmental differences (differences in institutional set-ups) between Mexico and the EU and the geographical distance. In addition, this research provides empirical evidence from a developing country (Mexico) about the pervasive consequences of the lack of governmental support and policies for the internationalization of LMT-SMEs. This research calls for more active participation from the Government and policy makers to contribute to long-term economic growth from the supply side by improving SMEs' competitiveness through interactive learning, knowledge access and knowledge creation, innovation (incremental innovation) and the provision of favourable conditions for the internationalization of LMT-SMEs. Accordingly, a series of suggestions aimed at improving the competitiveness and internationalization of Mexican LMT-SMEs in the EU is also presented.

Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation presents the results of three empirical studies on price formation and liquidity in financial futures markets. The research entails three related areas: the effect of taxes on the prices of Australian stock index futures; the efficiency of the information transmission mechanism between the cash and futures markets; and the price and liquidity impact of large trades in interest rate and equity index futures markets. An overview of previous research identifies some important gaps in the existing literature that this dissertation aims to resolve for the benefit of arbitrageurs, investment managers, brokers and regulators.

Community service organizations, community college apprenticeships and organized labor have been working together to address the barriers to successful completion of apprenticeships. The barriers have been especially daunting for women and people of color. The Trades Mentor Network (TMN) grew out of a need to address this issue and to provide a means to assist at-risk apprentices to persist in the completion of their building trades apprenticeships. The purpose of this case study was to describe the TMN and to investigate the apprentice-mentor relationship to see if, in the perception of the apprentices, it was a useful retention strategy. A literature survey identified the worth of mentoring in other arenas, discussed the fate of women in nontraditional work and the relationship between community colleges and apprenticeships, and reviewed appropriate research methodology for studying this phenomenon. Participant observation, focus groups and interviews in two phases of data collection were used. Archival data contributed to the descriptions, conclusions and recommendations. The TMN and the TMN training were described. The research was limited to the study of woman apprentices. Their stories revealed their experiences as apprentices, their mentor relationship and what it was about the relationship that helped them. In the course of the study, 39 women were invited to be mentored. The 28 women who participated credited being mentored as a significant factor in their continuation or successful completion of their apprenticeship. The retention rates for woman apprentices improved. In 1991, before the TMN existed, the dropout rate for woman apprentices in Washington community and technical colleges was 50%, in 1996, the dropout rate was 12%. The TMN had an effect on the building trades culture. Woman apprentices were stronger, more confident and more expectant of a more inclusive and welcoming environment. Part of the significance of this study was to provide the data to justify the Trades Mentor Network and to convince organized labor to routinely fund it as a retention strategy for all apprentices at risk. Apprentice training is expensive and a low cost, essentially volunteer, program that reduces the risk of losing apprentices is valuable. / Graduation date: 1997